LUMELITE 4

LUMELITE 4 is an active satellite operated by Singapore, launched on 2023-04-22 from SRI. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 497 km and 502 km with an inclination of 10.0°. It travels at approximately 27,421 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.22 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 ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks LUMELITE 4 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

LUMELITE 4 orbits at an average altitude of 500 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 LUMELITE 4’s average altitude, there are currently 9,617 active payloads and 241 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 55.2% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 10.0°, LUMELITE 4 passes over latitudes between 10.0°N and 10.0°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. Singapore operates approximately 14 active satellites in total, of which 5 share a similar altitude band with LUMELITE 4.