COSMOS 1256
NORAD 12326
Payload
LEO
1981-022G
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🛰️ Orbital Parameters
Perigee
1456 km
Apogee
1477 km
Inclination
74.0°
Period
115.2 min
Mean Motion
12.49599880 rev/day
TLE Epoch
2026-05-08 20:00:00 UTC
📐 Computed Orbital Characteristics
Avg. Altitude1,467 km
Orbital Velocity25,673 km/h
Velocity7.13 km/s
Orbital Period115 minutes
Orbits / Day12.50
Eccentricity0.0013
Semi-Major Axis7,838 km
Est. Orbital LifetimeThousands of years
🚀 Launch & Identity
Country / Operator
🇷🇺 Russia (CIS)
Launch Date
1981-03-06
Launch Site
PKMTR
Int'l Designator
1981-022G
Object Type
Payload
RCS Size
Medium (0.1–1 m²)
📖 About This Object
COSMOS 1256 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1981-03-06 from PKMTR. With over 45 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,456 km and 1,477 km with an inclination of 74.0°. It travels at approximately 25,673 km/h (7.13 km/s), completing one full orbit every 115 minutes — that’s roughly 12.50 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is thousands of years. Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 1256 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.
🌍 Orbit Context
COSMOS 1256 orbits in the upper reaches of Low Earth Orbit, above 1,000 km. At this altitude, atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can remain in orbit for thousands of years without active deorbiting. This region is used by satellite broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions that need stable, long-duration orbits away from the densest debris bands. The high inclination typical at this altitude provides near-global coverage.
🔗 Cosmos (Military/Government) Series
This satellite carries the Cosmos designation, used by Russia (and formerly the Soviet Union) as a generic identifier for military and government spacecraft. The Cosmos series encompasses reconnaissance, signals intelligence (SIGINT), early warning, navigation, communications and scientific payloads. Many Cosmos satellites have classified missions with limited publicly available information.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
COSMOS 1256 orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,456 km (perigee) and 1,477 km (apogee), with an average altitude of approximately 1,467 km. It completes one orbit every 115 minutes, travelling at approximately 25,673 km/h (15,953 mph).
COSMOS 1256 is operated by Russia (CIS). It is catalogued by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network under NORAD ID 12326. You can track COSMOS 1256 in real time on Orbital Radar’s live tracker.
COSMOS 1256 was launched on 1981-03-06 from PKMTR. At its current altitude, the estimated remaining orbital lifetime is: thousands of years.
Yes — Orbital Radar tracks COSMOS 1256 (NORAD ID 12326) using the latest TLE (two-line element set) data from Space-Track and CelesTrak. Open the live tracker to see its current position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated in real time.
COSMOS 1256 travels at approximately 25,673 km/h (15,953 mph) — roughly 7.13 km/s. It completes 12.50 orbits per day, meaning the crew or instruments aboard (if any) would experience approximately 25 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours.