ISIS 2

ISIS 2 is an active satellite operated by CRC (Canada), launched on 1971-04-01 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the Isis B 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 1,356 km and 1,425 km with an inclination of 88.2°. It travels at approximately 25,799 km/h (7.17 km/s), completing one full orbit every 114 minutes — that’s roughly 12.68 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is thousands of years. Orbital Radar tracks ISIS 2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ISIS 2 orbits at an average altitude of 1,391 km in the uppermost reaches of Low Earth Orbit. At this altitude, orbital decay is effectively zero without active deorbiting, and coverage footprints are significantly larger than lower LEO, though at the cost of higher latency. Within ±50 km of ISIS 2’s average altitude, there are currently 277 active payloads and 254 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 88.2°, ISIS 2 passes over latitudes between 88.2°N and 88.2°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. Canada operates approximately 75 active satellites in total.