PLEIADES 1A

SatelliteCivil and militaryLEOSSOPolarFrance

PLEIADES 1A is a satellite, with ownership listed as France in CelesTrak's catalogue, currently in low Earth orbit, around 704 km altitude. It completes one orbit of Earth roughly every 99 minutes at an inclination of 98.2°. It was launched in 2011. Track its live position and see when it passes over your location on azmth.

Orbital data

NORAD ID: 38012
COSPAR ID: 2011-076F
Type: Satellite
Orbit: LEO
Perigee (lowest): 704 km
Apogee (highest): 706 km
Inclination: 98.19°
Orbital period: 99 min
Launch year: 2011
Owner (CelesTrak): France

Orbital data updated: 2026-10-18 · from CelesTrak, refreshed every 2 hours.

Who operates it

FranceLIVEActive

Optical imaging

Independent assessment

GCAT classes it as a shared civil and military satellite for optical imaging and records it as active (17 Oct 2026).

Data: GCAT · CC BY 4.0 Class, mission and status adapted from GCAT by Jonathan McDowell, CC BY 4.0, data update 17 Oct 2026.

Military satellites, counted and explained →

About LEO orbit

Low Earth Orbit. Up to 2,000 km altitude. Where most satellites live including the ISS (~420 km), Starlink (~550 km), and Earth observation. Orbital period roughly 90 minutes.