OBJECT AP

OBJECT AP (NORAD ID 57203) is a space object catalogued under Unknown, launched on 2023-06-27 from Vostochny, Russia on the Soyuz Rideshare 11 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 463 km and 476 km with an inclination of 97.5°. It travels at approximately 27,481 km/h (7.63 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.32 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. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT AP in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT AP orbits at an average altitude of 470 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 OBJECT AP’s average altitude, there are currently 7,987 active payloads and 190 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 45.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.5°, OBJECT AP passes over latitudes between 97.5°N and 97.5°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.