CUPID

CUPID is an active satellite operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (United States), launched on 2021-09-27 from Vandenberg SFB, California. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 479 km and 497 km with an inclination of 97.4°. It travels at approximately 27,444 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.26 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 CUPID in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CUPID orbits at an average altitude of 488 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 CUPID’s average altitude, there are currently 8,077 active payloads and 226 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 46.4% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.4°, CUPID 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 7,482 share a similar altitude band with CUPID.