COSMOS 44

COSMOS 44 is an active satellite operated by VNIIEM (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1964-08-28 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the Meteor 11F614 No. 1 launch. After more than 62 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 572 km and 777 km with an inclination of 65.1°. It travels at approximately 27,078 km/h (7.52 km/s), completing one full orbit every 98 minutes — that’s roughly 14.66 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 44 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 44 orbits at an average altitude of 675 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 44’s average altitude, there are currently 725 active payloads and 1,312 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, ONEWEB-0179. With an inclination of 65.1°, COSMOS 44 passes over latitudes between 65.1°N and 65.1°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 1,553 active satellites in total, of which 21 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 44.