MERIDIAN 11

MERIDIAN 11 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 2026-04-03 from PKMTR. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 1,120 km and 39,235 km with an inclination of 62.8°. It travels at approximately 13,949 km/h (3.87 km/s), completing one full orbit every 11 hours 58 minutes — that’s roughly 2.01 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.7178 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks MERIDIAN 11 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

MERIDIAN 11 orbits at an average altitude of 20,178 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of MERIDIAN 11’s average altitude, there are currently 103 active payloads and 13 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include GPS BIIR-5 (PRN 22), GPS BIIR-8 (PRN 16), GPS BIIR-11 (PRN 19). With an inclination of 62.8°, MERIDIAN 11 passes over latitudes between 62.8°N and 62.8°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 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 56 share a similar altitude band with MERIDIAN 11.