OBJECT J

OBJECT J is an active satellite operated by Byuro 1440 (Russia (CIS)), launched on 2024-05-16 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia on the Soyuz Rideshare 13 launch. Independent catalogue analysis identifies this object as Rassvet-2 No. 3, attributed to Byuro 1440. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 776 km and 794 km with an inclination of 98.7°. It travels at approximately 26,868 km/h (7.46 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.32 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. It is one of Bureau 1440's test satellites for the Rassvet constellation. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT J in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT J orbits at an average altitude of 785 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 OBJECT J’s average altitude, there are currently 463 active payloads and 2,472 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 98.7°, OBJECT J passes over latitudes between 98.7°N and 98.7°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. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,569 active satellites in total, of which 78 share a similar altitude band with OBJECT J.