COSMOS 2520

COSMOS 2520 is an active satellite operated by Ministry of Defense (Russia (CIS)), launched on 2017-08-16 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,781 km and 35,792 km with an inclination of 0.1°. It travels at approximately 11,070 km/h (3.07 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.00 orbits per day. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 2520 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 2520 occupies geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where its orbital period matches the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. From the ground, it appears to hover over a fixed point — ideal for broadcast television, weather monitoring and wideband communications. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 2520’s average altitude, there are currently 713 active payloads and 59 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 124 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 2520.