COSMOS 2504

COSMOS 2504 is an active satellite operated by Ministry of Defense (Russia (CIS)), launched on 2015-03-31 from PKMTR. After 11 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 581 km and 1,480 km with an inclination of 82.5°. It travels at approximately 26,419 km/h (7.34 km/s), completing one full orbit every 106 minutes — that’s roughly 13.61 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 2504 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 2504 orbits at an average altitude of 1,031 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 2504’s average altitude, there are currently 237 active payloads and 571 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0041. With an inclination of 82.5°, COSMOS 2504 passes over latitudes between 82.5°N and 82.5°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. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 85 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 2504.