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MERIDIAN 9 — Live Satellite Tracking (NORAD 45254)

Track MERIDIAN 9 (NORAD catalog number 45254) live on the WatchSat interactive 3D globe above. Its position is propagated in real time from the latest CelesTrak two-line element set using the SGP4/SDP4 orbital model — the same math professional trackers run. It has been on orbit since 2020, launched on the 15th orbital launch of that year (COSPAR designation 2020-015A). As of this element set it had completed roughly 4,881 revolutions of Earth.

Its speed swings from 1.69 km/s at apogee to 8.91 km/s at perigee. MERIDIAN 9 follows a highly elliptical orbit, completing a revolution every 12.0 hours. The orbit is strongly elliptical (eccentricity 0.6818): each revolution swings from 2,079 km at perigee out to 38,290 km at apogee. Inclined 65.5° to the equator, it overflies every latitude up to about 66° north and south. Its orbital plane crosses the equator northbound at right ascension 305.8°. Earth's equatorial bulge drifts that plane westward about 0.10° per day.

Orbital elements

Orbit regime	highly elliptical orbit (HEO)
Perigee × apogee altitude	~2,079 km × 38,290 km
Inclination	65.54°
Orbital period	717.8 min (2.01 rev/day)
Eccentricity	0.68178
Element set epoch	2026-10-21
COSPAR designation	2020-015A
NORAD catalog number	45254

This page's orbital elements come from the CelesTrak catalog of 2026-10-23. The live 3D view above fetches its own current CelesTrak data when the page opens, through an edge cache that refreshes roughly every 30 minutes.

About the Other Active Satellites group

MERIDIAN 9 is one of 4,802 active satellites in WatchSat's general catalog — the broad population of Earth-observation, communications, science, amateur-radio and technology spacecraft outside the giant broadband constellations. Browse all other active satellites live in 3D.

Can you see MERIDIAN 9 from the ground?

Not with the naked eye. At its altitude MERIDIAN 9 is far beyond unaided visibility — following satellites this high takes a telescope and good timing. You can still track it precisely in the live 3D view above, or check the “When can I see it?” panel in the live view.

Related satellites

Nearest catalog neighbors of MERIDIAN 9 in the Other Active Satellites group — usually craft from the same or adjacent launches:

Browse the Other Active Satellites directory or the full satellite directory.

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