MOLNIYA 2-10

MOLNIYA 2-10 is an active satellite operated by GUKOS RVSN (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1974-07-23 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia on the Molniya-2 launch. After more than 52 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 2,457 km and 37,798 km with an inclination of 65.2°. It travels at approximately 13,962 km/h (3.88 km/s), completing one full orbit every 11 hours 56 minutes — that’s roughly 2.01 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.6668 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks MOLNIYA 2-10 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

MOLNIYA 2-10 orbits at an average altitude of 20,128 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 MOLNIYA 2-10’s average altitude, there are currently 40 active payloads and 17 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 65.2°, MOLNIYA 2-10 passes over latitudes between 65.2°N and 65.2°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 1,552 active satellites in total, of which 34 share a similar altitude band with MOLNIYA 2-10.