FORMOSAT7-3/COSMIC2-3

FORMOSAT7-3/COSMIC2-3 is an active satellite operated by Taiwan's National Space Organization/National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Admistration (NOAA) (TWN), launched on 2019-06-25 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 537 km and 537 km with an inclination of 24.0°. It travels at approximately 27,346 km/h (7.60 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.10 orbits per day. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks FORMOSAT7-3/COSMIC2-3 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

FORMOSAT7-3/COSMIC2-3 orbits at an average altitude of 537 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 FORMOSAT7-3/COSMIC2-3’s average altitude, there are currently 3,503 active payloads and 317 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, STARLINK-1451. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 20.1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 24.0°, FORMOSAT7-3/COSMIC2-3 passes over latitudes between 24.0°N and 24.0°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. TWN operates approximately 30 active satellites in total, of which 16 share a similar altitude band with FORMOSAT7-3/COSMIC2-3.