NEONSAT-1

NEONSAT-1 is an active satellite operated by KAIST (South Korea), launched on 2024-04-23 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, New Zealand on the Neonsat-1 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 438 km and 451 km with an inclination of 97.3°. It travels at approximately 27,531 km/h (7.65 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.41 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 NEONSAT-1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

NEONSAT-1 orbits at an average altitude of 445 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 NEONSAT-1’s average altitude, there are currently 9,859 active payloads and 135 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 52.7% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.3°, NEONSAT-1 passes over latitudes between 97.3°N and 97.3°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. South Korea operates approximately 56 active satellites in total, of which 6 share a similar altitude band with NEONSAT-1.