KORONAS-FOTON
Koronas-Foton was a Russian solar-observation satellite launched in 2009. It studied high-energy processes on the Sun, including solar flares and associated X-ray and gamma-ray emissions.
Object identity
- NORAD ID
- 33504
- COSPAR ID
- 2009-003A
- Operator
- Not listed
- Country
- Not listed
- Launch date
- Not listed
Immediate discovery
Why this satellite matters
Solar observations connect directly to space weather: energetic events on the Sun can alter the radiation and plasma environment through which satellites operate.
Understanding the mission
Science and engineering ideas
Solar observations connect directly to space weather: energetic events on the Sun can alter the radiation and plasma environment through which satellites operate.
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.
- Solar observations connect directly to space weather: energetic events on the Sun can alter the radiation and plasma environment through which satellites operate.
Design
Engineering
Solar observations connect directly to space weather: energetic events on the Sun can alter the radiation and plasma environment through which satellites operate.
Real orbital values
The mathematics
The current two-line element set reports approximately 15.4753 revolutions per day. Dividing 1,440 minutes by that value gives an estimated orbital period of 93.1 minutes.
Period
93.1 min
Representative speed
27,558 km/h
Representative altitude
431 km
Inclination
82.43°
Launch record
Launch and deployment
Koronas-Foton launched on 30 January 2009 aboard a Tsyklon-3 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
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 KORONAS-FOTON 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 17, 2026, 7:50 AM UTC
Story review
1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
