KOMPSAT 3A

KOMPSAT 3A is an active satellite operated by Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) (South Korea), launched on 2015-03-25 from OREN. After 11 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 366 km and 443 km with an inclination of 97.7°. It travels at approximately 27,612 km/h (7.67 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.54 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. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks KOMPSAT 3A in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

KOMPSAT 3A orbits at an average altitude of 405 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 KOMPSAT 3A’s average altitude, there are currently 1,396 active payloads and 101 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1020. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.7°, KOMPSAT 3A passes over latitudes between 97.7°N and 97.7°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. South Korea operates approximately 51 active satellites in total, of which 3 share a similar altitude band with KOMPSAT 3A.