GLOBAL-36

GLOBAL-36 is an active satellite operated by BlackSky Global (United States), launched on 2026-09-11 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, New Zealand on the BlackSky Gen3-5 launch. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 490 km and 504 km with an inclination of 36.0°. It travels at approximately 27,426 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.23 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks GLOBAL-36 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GLOBAL-36 orbits at an average altitude of 497 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of GLOBAL-36’s average altitude, there are currently 10,743 active payloads and 231 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1231. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 56.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 36.0°, GLOBAL-36 passes over latitudes between 36.0°N and 36.0°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. United States operates approximately 13,281 active satellites in total, of which 10,064 share a similar altitude band with GLOBAL-36.