Science
SAOCOM 1A
Argentine L-band SAR Imaging Satellite · CONAE (Argentina)
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.
- Over
- —
- Altitude
- —
- Speed
- —
SAOCOM 1A, Argentina's flagship L-band radar satellite and the sharpest radar imaging spacecraft ever built by a South American nation. Unlike the shorter X-band wavelengths most commercial SAR satellites use, SAOCOM's longer L-band signal can penetrate several meters into soil, directly measuring moisture content underground — data Argentina uses for both agricultural planning across its vast Pampas farmland and, through a partnership with Italy's COSMO-SkyMed constellation, joint disaster response across two continents.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 389–390 mi (626–628 km)
- Inclination
- 97.9°
- One orbit
- 97.1 minutes14.8 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 43641
- Int’l designator
- 2018-076A
- Launched
- 2018
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
More science
- SAOCOM 1BArgentine L-band SAR Imaging Satellite
- SCISAT-1 / ACEAtmospheric Chemistry
- SDGSAT 1Chinese Nighttime Imaging Satellite (UN Sustainable Development Goals)
- SEAHAWK-1Ocean Color Science CubeSat
- SENTINEL-1AC-band SAR Imaging
- SENTINEL-1CC-band SAR Imaging (Copernicus — Constellation Restored)