MSU ALTAIR

MSU ALTAIR is an active satellite operated by MGU (Russia (CIS)), launched on 2024-11-04 from Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia on the Soyuz Rideshare 14 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 442 km and 459 km with an inclination of 97.3°. It travels at approximately 27,519 km/h (7.64 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.39 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. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks MSU ALTAIR in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

MSU ALTAIR orbits at an average altitude of 451 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 MSU ALTAIR’s average altitude, there are currently 9,960 active payloads and 147 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 53.3% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.3°, MSU ALTAIR 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. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,536 active satellites in total, of which 58 share a similar altitude band with MSU ALTAIR.