EROS C3

EROS C3 is an active satellite operated by Israel, launched on 2022-12-30 from Vandenberg SFB, California. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 528 km and 539 km with an inclination of 139.3°. It travels at approximately 27,353 km/h (7.60 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.11 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 EROS C3 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

EROS C3 orbits at an average altitude of 534 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 EROS C3’s average altitude, there are currently 3,512 active payloads and 304 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 20.2% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 139.3°, EROS C3 passes over latitudes between 139.3°N and 139.3°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. Israel operates approximately 11 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with EROS C3.