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COSMOS 1743

COSMOS 1743 belongs to the long-running Soviet/Russian Cosmos naming series, a designation applied to many military, scientific and technology spacecraft. Public details vary widely from mission to mission, which makes the object itself part of the history of how much - or how little - nations chose to reveal about orbital activity.

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Object identity

NORAD ID
16719
COSPAR ID
1986-034A
Operator
Not listed
Country
Not listed
Launch date
Not listed

Immediate discovery

Why this satellite matters

Even when payload details are limited, orbital data still tells a mathematical story. Altitude, inclination and period reveal the broad geometry of the mission and allow observers to predict when the object will return over a region.

Understanding the mission

Science and engineering ideas

Even when payload details are limited, orbital data still tells a mathematical story. Altitude, inclination and period reveal the broad geometry of the mission and allow observers to predict when the object will return over a 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.

  • Even when payload details are limited, orbital data still tells a mathematical story. Altitude, inclination and period reveal the broad geometry of the mission and allow observers to predict when the object will return over a region.

Design

Engineering

Even when payload details are limited, orbital data still tells a mathematical story. Altitude, inclination and period reveal the broad geometry of the mission and allow observers to predict when the object will return over a region.

Real orbital values

The mathematics

The current two-line element set reports approximately 15.7675 revolutions per day. Dividing 1,440 minutes by that value gives an estimated orbital period of 91.3 minutes.

Period

91.3 min

Representative speed

27,731 km/h

Representative altitude

347 km

Inclination

82.52°

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

The orbital catalog lists the launch designator as 1986-034A. A fully sourced launch story, launch vehicle, deployment sequence, historical weather, and documented delays have not yet been added to this page.

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

See COSMOS 1743 moving now

Open the live tracker to view its current calculated position, trajectory, orbital information, visibility tools, and Save and Share controls.

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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 20, 2026, 10:53 AM UTC

Story review

1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z