IXPE

IXPE is an active satellite operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (United States), launched on 2021-12-09 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 530 km and 541 km with an inclination of 0.2°. It travels at approximately 27,349 km/h (7.60 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.10 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 ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks IXPE in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

IXPE orbits at an average altitude of 536 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 IXPE’s average altitude, there are currently 3,497 active payloads and 316 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 0.2°, IXPE passes over latitudes between 0.2°N and 0.2°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 2,824 share a similar altitude band with IXPE.