CYGFM05

CYGFM05 is an active satellite operated by University of Michigan/NASA Earth Science Technology Office (United States), launched on 2016-12-15 from Esrange, Sweden. After 10 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 392 km and 402 km with an inclination of 35.0°. It travels at approximately 27,627 km/h (7.67 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.57 orbits per day. 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 months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks CYGFM05 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CYGFM05 orbits at an average altitude of 397 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of CYGFM05’s average altitude, there are currently 1,297 active payloads and 79 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 7.4% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 35.0°, CYGFM05 passes over latitudes between 35.0°N and 35.0°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. United States operates approximately 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 1,140 share a similar altitude band with CYGFM05.