ION SCV-015

ION SCV-015 is an active satellite operated by D-ORBIT (Italy), launched on 2023-12-01 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the Korea 425 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 457 km and 468 km with an inclination of 97.6°. It travels at approximately 27,495 km/h (7.64 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.35 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 ION SCV-015 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ION SCV-015 orbits at an average altitude of 463 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-015’s average altitude, there are currently 10,735 active payloads and 176 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ISS (ZARYA), STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 56.6% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.6°, ION SCV-015 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 92 active satellites in total, of which 36 share a similar altitude band with ION SCV-015.