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 437 km and 446 km with an inclination of 97.3°. It travels at approximately 27,537 km/h (7.65 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.42 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 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 442 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 10,451 active payloads and 140 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 55.1% 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 65 active satellites in total, of which 6 share a similar altitude band with NEONSAT-1.