M2 PATHFINDER

M2 PATHFINDER is an active satellite operated by University of New South Wales/Department of Defence (Australia), launched on 2020-06-13 from RLLC. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 544 km and 561 km with an inclination of 97.8°. It travels at approximately 27,315 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.05 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 M2 PATHFINDER in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

M2 PATHFINDER orbits at an average altitude of 553 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 M2 PATHFINDER’s average altitude, there are currently 3,408 active payloads and 374 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 19.5% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.8°, M2 PATHFINDER passes over latitudes between 97.8°N and 97.8°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. Australia operates approximately 41 active satellites in total, of which 13 share a similar altitude band with M2 PATHFINDER.