BIRKELAND

BIRKELAND is an active satellite operated by Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI)/ (Norway), launched on 2023-01-03 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 440 km and 452 km with an inclination of 97.3°. It travels at approximately 27,528 km/h (7.65 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.40 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. 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 ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks BIRKELAND in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

BIRKELAND orbits at an average altitude of 446 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of BIRKELAND’s average altitude, there are currently 7,659 active payloads and 158 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1017. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 44% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.3°, BIRKELAND passes over latitudes between 97.3°N and 97.3°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. Norway operates approximately 26 active satellites in total, of which 3 share a similar altitude band with BIRKELAND.