AISAT

AISAT is an active satellite operated by DLR2 (Germany), launched on 2014-06-30 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India on the PSLV Rideshare 05 launch. After 12 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 530 km and 540 km with an inclination of 98.2°. It travels at approximately 27,350 km/h (7.60 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.10 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks AISAT in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

AISAT orbits at an average altitude of 535 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of AISAT’s average altitude, there are currently 1,774 active payloads and 344 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, STARLINK-1451. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 9.5% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 98.2°, AISAT passes over latitudes between 98.2°N and 98.2°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. Germany operates approximately 93 active satellites in total, of which 28 share a similar altitude band with AISAT.