Russia can track most foreign satellites in orbit
Russian ground-based tracking equipment can see the behavior of most foreign satellites in geostationary orbit, Russia's Space Research Center said.
 |
| Satellite in Earth orbit. Photo illustration Fotolia |
Geostationary orbit is a circular orbit 35,786 km high, located above the Earth's equator, in which a satellite revolves around the planet at an angular velocity equal to the angular velocity of the Earth's rotation around its axis. About 600 communications, broadcasting, and relay satellites operate in geostationary orbit.
The Space Research Center document notes that the majority of foreign spacecraft in geostationary orbit are under the control of the Russian Automatic Warning System for Hazardous Situations in Near-Earth Space. Telescopes in the system are located in Russia, Armenia and Brazil.
Earlier, at a meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Roskosmos representative Yury Makarov said that Russia's space control system is on par with the US system in monitoring near-Earth orbits.
The Russian system tracks about 6,000 objects in low orbit, while the American system tracks 10,300. But in high orbit, Russia controls the flights of 7,600 objects, while the American system controls 4,700.
