LARES-2

LARES-2 is an active satellite operated by Italy, launched on 2022-07-13 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 5,883 km and 5,896 km with an inclination of 70.2°. It travels at approximately 20,527 km/h (5.70 km/s), completing one full orbit every 3 hours 45 minutes — that’s roughly 6.39 orbits per day. Orbital Radar tracks LARES-2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

LARES-2 orbits at an average altitude of 5,890 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of LARES-2’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 4 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 70.2°, LARES-2 passes over latitudes between 70.2°N and 70.2°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Italy operates approximately 88 active satellites in total.