PICO-02A021

PICO-02A021 is an active satellite operated by Italy, launched on 2024-08-16 from Vandenberg SFB, California. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 553 km and 560 km with an inclination of 97.7°. It travels at approximately 27,308 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.03 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 ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks PICO-02A021 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

PICO-02A021 orbits at an average altitude of 557 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 PICO-02A021’s average altitude, there are currently 3,300 active payloads and 400 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, ONEWEB-0050. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 18.9% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.7°, PICO-02A021 passes over latitudes between 97.7°N and 97.7°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. Italy operates approximately 88 active satellites in total, of which 42 share a similar altitude band with PICO-02A021.