COSMOS 803

COSMOS 803 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1976-02-12 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia on the Lira launch. After more than 50 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 360 km and 385 km with an inclination of 65.8°. It travels at approximately 27,678 km/h (7.69 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.65 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 803 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 803 orbits at an average altitude of 373 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 COSMOS 803’s average altitude, there are currently 1,331 active payloads and 56 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ISS (ZARYA), STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 7.1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 65.8°, COSMOS 803 passes over latitudes between 65.8°N and 65.8°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 1,537 active satellites in total, of which 38 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 803.