QPS-SAR-5 TSUKUYOMI-I

QPS-SAR-5 TSUKUYOMI-I is an active satellite operated by Japan, launched on 2023-12-15 from RLLC. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 479 km and 517 km with an inclination of 42.0°. It travels at approximately 27,424 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.23 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks QPS-SAR-5 TSUKUYOMI-I in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

QPS-SAR-5 TSUKUYOMI-I orbits at an average altitude of 498 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 QPS-SAR-5 TSUKUYOMI-I’s average altitude, there are currently 9,150 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 52.5% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 42.0°, QPS-SAR-5 TSUKUYOMI-I passes over latitudes between 42.0°N and 42.0°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. Japan operates approximately 189 active satellites in total, of which 31 share a similar altitude band with QPS-SAR-5 TSUKUYOMI-I.