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COSMO-SKYMED 1

COSMO-SkyMed 1 is part of Italy's radar Earth-observation constellation. Launched in 2007, it uses X-band synthetic-aperture radar for civil and security applications including disaster monitoring, mapping and maritime observation.

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Object identity

NORAD ID
31598
COSPAR ID
2007-023A
Operator
Not listed
Country
Not listed
Launch date
Not listed

Immediate discovery

Why this satellite matters

A constellation changes the mathematics of revisit time: multiple spacecraft in coordinated orbital planes reduce the wait between observations of the same region.

Understanding the mission

Science and engineering ideas

A constellation changes the mathematics of revisit time: multiple spacecraft in coordinated orbital planes reduce the wait between observations of the same region.

Mission

Mission and purpose

The current public orbital catalog identifies this object, but verified mission-specific information may be limited. TransitSatellite will expand this page when authoritative information is available.

  • A constellation changes the mathematics of revisit time: multiple spacecraft in coordinated orbital planes reduce the wait between observations of the same region.

Design

Engineering

A constellation changes the mathematics of revisit time: multiple spacecraft in coordinated orbital planes reduce the wait between observations of the same region.

Real orbital values

The mathematics

The current two-line element set reports approximately 14.9745 revolutions per day. Dividing 1,440 minutes by that value gives an estimated orbital period of 96.2 minutes.

Period

96.2 min

Representative speed

27,258 km/h

Representative altitude

582 km

Inclination

97.88°

These are representative calculations derived from current orbital elements, not fixed physical specifications. Altitude and speed change around an elliptical orbit, and predictions change as new orbital elements are published.

Launch record

Launch and deployment

COSMO-SkyMed 1 launched on 8 June 2007 aboard a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

TransitSatellite does not estimate historical launch weather. Temperature, clouds, wind, holds, and scrub reasons will appear only when supported by traceable historical sources.

Orbit

LEO orbit explained

Low Earth orbit is the region closest to Earth used by most crewed spacecraft, many science missions, Earth-observation satellites, and large constellations. Objects move quickly and commonly complete an orbit in roughly 90 to 130 minutes.

LEO can provide detailed Earth views, lower communications delay, and easier access than higher orbits, but it covers less area per spacecraft and is more affected by atmospheric drag.

Live TransitSatellite experience

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Learning

Questions to explore

  • What can an orbit tell us before the mission is fully identified?
  • Why are stable catalog identifiers important?

Evidence

Sources and data notes

Current identity and orbital elements come from CelesTrak’s public GP data. Calculated orbit values are derived from the current TLE and may change after catalog updates. Mission-history claims are added separately and require authoritative sources.

Catalog updated

Sep 17, 2026, 1:04 AM UTC

Story review

1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z