COSMOS 516

COSMOS 516 is an active satellite operated by TSKBM (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1972-08-21 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the US-A reactor launch. After more than 54 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 930 km and 1,013 km with an inclination of 64.8°. It travels at approximately 26,525 km/h (7.37 km/s), completing one full orbit every 105 minutes — that’s roughly 13.78 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 516 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 516 orbits at an average altitude of 972 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 516’s average altitude, there are currently 426 active payloads and 1,194 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 64.8°, COSMOS 516 passes over latitudes between 64.8°N and 64.8°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,553 active satellites in total, of which 203 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 516.