Science
MOST
Stellar Astronomy · Canadian Space Agency
Right now
LiveIt moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.
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Canada's first space telescope, about the size of a carry-on suitcase, cost just $10 million — and delivered world-class science for over a decade. MOST measured the tiny dimming of stars caused by internal vibrations, essentially doing an ultrasound of stellar interiors. It also made early detections of light reflected from known exoplanets. Built partly by Canadian high school students, it proved microsatellites could do serious science.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 509–517 mi (818–832 km)
- Inclination
- 98.7°
- One orbit
- 101.3 minutes14.2 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 27843
- Int’l designator
- 2003-031D
- Launched
- 2003
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.