ISTSAT-1

ISTSAT-1 is an active satellite operated by Portugal, launched on 2024-07-09 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou on the Cubesats launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 508 km and 552 km with an inclination of 62.0°. It travels at approximately 27,360 km/h (7.60 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.12 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks ISTSAT-1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ISTSAT-1 orbits at an average altitude of 530 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 ISTSAT-1’s average altitude, there are currently 5,802 active payloads and 293 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, STARLINK-1451. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 32.6% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 62.0°, ISTSAT-1 passes over latitudes between 62.0°N and 62.0°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Portugal operates approximately 9 active satellites in total, of which 6 share a similar altitude band with ISTSAT-1.