COSMOS 860

COSMOS 860 is an active satellite operated by Soviet Navy (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1976-10-17 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the US-A reactor 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 916 km and 1,001 km with an inclination of 64.7°. It travels at approximately 26,548 km/h (7.37 km/s), completing one full orbit every 104 minutes — that’s roughly 13.81 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 860 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COSMOS 860 orbits at an average altitude of 959 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 860’s average altitude, there are currently 435 active payloads and 1,281 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 64.7°, COSMOS 860 passes over latitudes between 64.7°N and 64.7°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 206 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 860.