COSMOS 2518 (EKS 2)

MilitaryHEOMolniyaGTORussia

COSMOS 2518 (EKS 2) is a military satellite, as listed in Jonathan McDowell's GCAT catalogue, with ownership listed as Russia in CelesTrak's catalogue, currently in a highly elliptical orbit ranging from 1,841 km to 38,505 km. It completes one orbit of Earth roughly every 717 minutes at an inclination of 63.0°. It was launched in 2017. Track its live position and see when it passes over your location on azmth.

Orbital data

NORAD ID: 42719
COSPAR ID: 2017-027A
Type: Military
Orbit: HEO
Perigee (lowest): 1,841 km
Apogee (highest): 38,505 km
Inclination: 63.02°
Orbital period: 717 min
Launch year: 2017
Owner (CelesTrak): Russia

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

Who operates it

RussiaLIVEMission ended about Aug 2022

Missile warning

Independent assessment

GCAT classes it as a military satellite for missile warning and records its mission as ended in about Aug 2022 (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.

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About HEO orbit

Highly Elliptical Orbit. An elongated orbit that swings close to Earth at perigee and far away at apogee. Includes Molniya and Tundra orbits used for high-latitude coverage.