AZUR (GRS A)

AZUR (GRS A) is an active satellite operated by DFVLR (Germany), launched on 1969-11-08 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the GRS-A launch. After more than 57 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 306 km and 546 km with an inclination of 102.7°. It travels at approximately 27,568 km/h (7.66 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.47 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks AZUR (GRS A) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

AZUR (GRS A) orbits at an average altitude of 426 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of AZUR (GRS A)’s average altitude, there are currently 6,855 active payloads and 118 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ISS (ZARYA), STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 36.3% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 102.7°, AZUR (GRS A) passes over latitudes between 102.7°N and 102.7°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. Germany operates approximately 93 active satellites in total, of which 10 share a similar altitude band with AZUR (GRS A).