CUBEL

CUBEL is an active satellite operated by German Aerospace Center (DLR-IKN)/TESAT Spacecom (Germany), launched on 2021-01-24 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 437 km and 447 km with an inclination of 97.2°. It travels at approximately 27,536 km/h (7.65 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.41 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. 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 CUBEL in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CUBEL orbits at an average altitude of 442 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 CUBEL’s average altitude, there are currently 7,638 active payloads and 152 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1017. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 43.9% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.2°, CUBEL passes over latitudes between 97.2°N and 97.2°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 80 active satellites in total, of which 13 share a similar altitude band with CUBEL.