D-STAR ONE SPARROW

D-STAR ONE SPARROW is an active satellite operated by German Orbital Systems (Germany), launched on 2018-12-27 from Vostochny, Russia on the Soyuz Rideshare 7 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 272 km and 288 km with an inclination of 97.6°. It travels at approximately 27,869 km/h (7.74 km/s), completing one full orbit every 90 minutes — that’s roughly 15.98 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 weeks to months. Orbital Radar tracks D-STAR ONE SPARROW in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

D-STAR ONE SPARROW orbits at an average altitude of 280 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 D-STAR ONE SPARROW’s average altitude, there are currently 209 active payloads and 15 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1036, STARLINK-1067, STARLINK-1068. With an inclination of 97.6°, D-STAR ONE SPARROW passes over latitudes between 97.6°N and 97.6°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 87 active satellites in total.