SENTINEL 1B

SENTINEL 1B is an active satellite operated by EUMETSAT (European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) (ESA (European Space Agency)), launched on 2016-04-25 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. After 10 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 557 km and 582 km with an inclination of 98.1°. It travels at approximately 27,282 km/h (7.58 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 14.99 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 ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks SENTINEL 1B in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SENTINEL 1B orbits at an average altitude of 570 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 SENTINEL 1B’s average altitude, there are currently 3,180 active payloads and 482 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, ONEWEB-0050. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 18.3% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 98.1°, SENTINEL 1B passes over latitudes between 98.1°N and 98.1°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. ESA (European Space Agency) operates approximately 93 active satellites in total, of which 6 share a similar altitude band with SENTINEL 1B.