POEM

POEM is an active satellite operated by ISRO (India), launched on 2022-06-30 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India on the DS-EO/POEM launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 476 km and 506 km with an inclination of 9.9°. It travels at approximately 27,438 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.25 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks POEM in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

POEM orbits at an average altitude of 491 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 POEM’s average altitude, there are currently 10,266 active payloads and 211 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 54.9% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 9.9°, POEM passes over latitudes between 9.9°N and 9.9°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. India operates approximately 109 active satellites in total, of which 11 share a similar altitude band with POEM.