INTERCOSMOS 24
Intercosmos 24 was part of the Soviet Intercosmos scientific program, which involved international cooperation on space research. Missions in this family studied Earth's upper atmosphere, magnetosphere and related phenomena.
Object identity
- NORAD ID
- 20261
- COSPAR ID
- 1989-080A
- Operator
- Not listed
- Country
- Not listed
- Launch date
- Not listed
Immediate discovery
Why this satellite matters
The magnetosphere is governed by charged-particle motion in magnetic and electric fields, linking satellite measurements to Lorentz-force equations.
Understanding the mission
Science and engineering ideas
The magnetosphere is governed by charged-particle motion in magnetic and electric fields, linking satellite measurements to Lorentz-force equations.
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.
- The magnetosphere is governed by charged-particle motion in magnetic and electric fields, linking satellite measurements to Lorentz-force equations.
Design
Engineering
The magnetosphere is governed by charged-particle motion in magnetic and electric fields, linking satellite measurements to Lorentz-force equations.
Real orbital values
The mathematics
The current two-line element set reports approximately 12.5973 revolutions per day. Dividing 1,440 minutes by that value gives an estimated orbital period of 114.3 minutes.
Period
114.3 min
Representative speed
25,731 km/h
Representative altitude
1,431 km
Inclination
82.61°
Launch record
Launch and deployment
The orbital catalog lists the launch designator as 1989-080A. A fully sourced launch story, launch vehicle, deployment sequence, historical weather, and documented delays have not yet been added to this page.
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 INTERCOSMOS 24 moving now
Open the live tracker to view its current calculated position, trajectory, orbital information, visibility tools, and Save and Share controls.
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 19, 2026, 11:18 AM UTC
Story review
1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z