POEM 2

POEM 2 is an active satellite operated by India, launched on 2023-04-22 from SRI. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 568 km and 597 km with an inclination of 9.9°. It travels at approximately 27,256 km/h (7.57 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 14.95 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks POEM 2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

POEM 2 orbits at an average altitude of 583 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 2’s average altitude, there are currently 3,257 active payloads and 572 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3005, STARLINK-3090. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 18.7% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 9.9°, POEM 2 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 108 active satellites in total, of which 15 share a similar altitude band with POEM 2.