COSMOS 394

COSMOS 394 is an active satellite operated by PKO (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1971-02-09 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia on the DS-P1-M No. 2 launch. After more than 55 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 415 km and 420 km with an inclination of 65.8°. It travels at approximately 27,586 km/h (7.66 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.50 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 394 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 394 orbits at an average altitude of 418 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 394’s average altitude, there are currently 5,764 active payloads and 111 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ISS (ZARYA), STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 30.5% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 65.8°, COSMOS 394 passes over latitudes between 65.8°N and 65.8°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 1,553 active satellites in total, of which 36 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 394.