R2

R2 is an active satellite operated by Lithuania, launched on 2020-11-07 from SRI. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 483 km and 496 km with an inclination of 36.9°. It travels at approximately 27,441 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.25 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 ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks R2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

R2 orbits at an average altitude of 490 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 R2’s average altitude, there are currently 9,174 active payloads and 234 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1047. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 52.6% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 36.9°, R2 passes over latitudes between 36.9°N and 36.9°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. Lithuania operates approximately 3 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with R2.