KUIPER-00546

KUIPER-00546 is an active satellite operated by SpaceX (United States), launched on 2021-12-02 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 539 km and 541 km with an inclination of 53.2°. It travels at approximately 27,340 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.40 orbits per day. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. It is part of the Kuiper constellation group. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks KUIPER-00546 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

KUIPER-00546 orbits at an average altitude of 540 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 KUIPER-00546’s average altitude, there are currently 3,503 active payloads and 326 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, STARLINK-1451. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 20.1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 53.2°, KUIPER-00546 passes over latitudes between 53.2°N and 53.2°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United States operates approximately 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 2,824 share a similar altitude band with KUIPER-00546.