COSMOS 2501 (GLONASS)

COSMOS 2501 (GLONASS) is an active satellite operated by Ministry of Defense (Russia (CIS)), launched on 2014-11-30 from PKMTR. After 12 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 19,072 km and 19,188 km with an inclination of 63.6°. It travels at approximately 14,233 km/h (3.95 km/s), completing one full orbit every 11 hours 16 minutes — that’s roughly 2.13 orbits per day. It is part of the Glo Ops constellation group. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 2501 (GLONASS) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 2501 (GLONASS) orbits at an average altitude of 19,130 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 2501 (GLONASS)’s average altitude, there are currently 141 active payloads and 45 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include COSMOS 1414 (GLONASS), COSMOS 1490 (GLONASS), COSMOS 1492 (GLONASS). With an inclination of 63.6°, COSMOS 2501 (GLONASS) passes over latitudes between 63.6°N and 63.6°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 141 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 2501 (GLONASS).