CORAL

CORAL is an active satellite operated by Italy, launched on 1998-11-20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the 77KM No. 17501 launch. With over 28 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 177 km and 194 km with an inclination of 51.6°. It travels at approximately 28,070 km/h (7.80 km/s), completing one full orbit every 88 minutes — that’s roughly 16.33 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is days to weeks — very low orbit, rapid decay. Orbital Radar tracks CORAL in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CORAL orbits at an average altitude of 186 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of CORAL’s average altitude, there are currently 12 active payloads and 0 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1826, STARLINK-1994, STARLINK-2083. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 51.6°, CORAL passes over latitudes between 51.6°N and 51.6°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Italy operates approximately 90 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with CORAL.