ION SCV-013

ION SCV-013 is an active satellite operated by Italy, launched on 2023-11-11 from Vandenberg SFB, California. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 483 km and 619 km with an inclination of 97.6°. It travels at approximately 27,318 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.05 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 ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks ION SCV-013 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ION SCV-013 orbits at an average altitude of 551 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 ION SCV-013’s average altitude, there are currently 3,436 active payloads and 365 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, ONEWEB-0050. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 19.7% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.6°, ION SCV-013 passes over latitudes between 97.6°N and 97.6°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. Italy operates approximately 88 active satellites in total, of which 50 share a similar altitude band with ION SCV-013.