Science
STELLA
Geodetic Laser Ranging · CNES
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France's STELLA is a geodetic retroreflector sphere in a polar orbit chosen to complement LAGEOS coverage at high latitudes. It measures variations in Earth's gravitational field near the poles — where ice sheet melting is most intense and where land released from glacial weight is still rising measurably as it rebounds from the last Ice Age.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 497–502 mi (800–809 km)
- Inclination
- 98.8°
- One orbit
- 100.8 minutes14.3 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 22824
- Int’l designator
- 1993-061B
- Launched
- 1993
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.