Communications
MERIDIAN 7
Russian Military/Civil Communications (Molniya Orbit) · Roscosmos / Russian Ministry of Defence
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Meridian 7, part of Russia's Meridian series providing military and civilian communications from a highly elliptical Molniya-type orbit — a design inherited from the Soviet era specifically because it lets a satellite linger for hours over Russia's high northern latitudes, where geostationary satellites sit too low on the horizon for reliable coverage. Meridian satellites relay naval, maritime, and Arctic communications across Russia's vast northern territories.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Highly Ellipticalswings far out, then dives back close to Earth
- Altitude
- 1,628–23,457 mi (2,620–37,750 km)
- Inclination
- 63.4°
- One orbit
- 12.0 hours2.0 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 40296
- Int’l designator
- 2014-069A
- Launched
- 2014
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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