CAS500-4

CAS500-4 is an active satellite operated by KAIST (South Korea), launched on 2026-07-07 from Vandenberg SFB, California on the Transporter-17 launch. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 882 km and 900 km with an inclination of 99.0°. It travels at approximately 26,671 km/h (7.41 km/s), completing one full orbit every 103 minutes — that’s roughly 14.01 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 ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks CAS500-4 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CAS500-4 orbits at an average altitude of 891 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 CAS500-4’s average altitude, there are currently 161 active payloads and 1,588 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 99.0°, CAS500-4 passes over latitudes between 99.0°N and 99.0°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. South Korea operates approximately 55 active satellites in total.