DIWATA 2B

DIWATA 2B is an active satellite operated by Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology, University of the Philippines Diliman, and Japan’s Hokkaido University and Tohoku University (Philippines), launched on 2018-10-29 from TNSTA. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 557 km and 574 km with an inclination of 98.1°. It travels at approximately 27,290 km/h (7.58 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.00 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 DIWATA 2B in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

DIWATA 2B orbits at an average altitude of 566 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 DIWATA 2B’s average altitude, there are currently 3,169 active payloads and 469 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 18.2% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 98.1°, DIWATA 2B 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. Philippines operates approximately 2 active satellites in total.