COSMOS 807

COSMOS 807 is an active satellite operated by PVO (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1976-03-12 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia on the Vektor 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 362 km and 997 km with an inclination of 82.9°. It travels at approximately 27,068 km/h (7.52 km/s), completing one full orbit every 98 minutes — that’s roughly 14.64 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 807 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 807 orbits at an average altitude of 680 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 807’s average altitude, there are currently 337 active payloads and 1,352 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, ONEWEB-0179. With an inclination of 82.9°, COSMOS 807 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 19 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 807.