CS1

CS1 is an active satellite operated by Defense Innovation Unit/Cesium Astro (United States), launched on 2021-09-27 from Vandenberg SFB, California. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 453 km and 471 km with an inclination of 97.4°. It travels at approximately 27,496 km/h (7.64 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.35 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 ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks CS1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CS1 orbits at an average altitude of 462 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 CS1’s average altitude, there are currently 7,963 active payloads and 174 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 45.7% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.4°, CS1 passes over latitudes between 97.4°N and 97.4°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. United States operates approximately 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 7,422 share a similar altitude band with CS1.