WNISAT 1R

WNISAT 1R is an active satellite operated by Weathernews, Inc. (Japan), launched on 2017-07-14 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 554 km and 569 km with an inclination of 97.5°. It travels at approximately 27,298 km/h (7.58 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.02 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 WNISAT 1R in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

WNISAT 1R orbits at an average altitude of 562 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 WNISAT 1R’s average altitude, there are currently 3,206 active payloads and 447 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 18.4% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.5°, WNISAT 1R passes over latitudes between 97.5°N and 97.5°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. Japan operates approximately 189 active satellites in total, of which 37 share a similar altitude band with WNISAT 1R.