COSMOS 660

COSMOS 660 is an active satellite operated by PVO (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1974-06-18 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia on the Vektor launch. After more than 52 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 365 km and 962 km with an inclination of 82.9°. It travels at approximately 27,099 km/h (7.53 km/s), completing one full orbit every 98 minutes — that’s roughly 14.69 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 660 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 660 orbits at an average altitude of 664 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 660’s average altitude, there are currently 826 active payloads and 1,225 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, ONEWEB-0179. With an inclination of 82.9°, COSMOS 660 passes over latitudes between 82.9°N and 82.9°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 1,553 active satellites in total, of which 20 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 660.