OBJECT AX

OBJECT AX (NORAD ID 59050) is a space object catalogued under Russia (CIS), launched on 1987-07-10 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the Plazma-A No. 2 launch. With over 39 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 763 km and 789 km with an inclination of 65.0°. It travels at approximately 26,885 km/h (7.47 km/s), completing one full orbit every 100 minutes — that’s roughly 14.35 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT AX in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT AX orbits at an average altitude of 776 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of OBJECT AX’s average altitude, there are currently 400 active payloads and 2,123 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 65.0°, OBJECT AX passes over latitudes between 65.0°N and 65.0°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 59 share a similar altitude band with OBJECT AX.