COSMOS 2550

COSMOS 2550 is an active satellite operated by Ministry of Defense (Russia (CIS)), launched on 2021-06-25 from PKMTR. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 459 km and 470 km with an inclination of 67.1°. It travels at approximately 27,491 km/h (7.64 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.34 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 COSMOS 2550 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 2550 orbits at an average altitude of 465 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 COSMOS 2550’s average altitude, there are currently 7,997 active payloads and 179 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 45.9% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 67.1°, COSMOS 2550 passes over latitudes between 67.1°N and 67.1°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 59 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 2550.