OPS 5113 (NAVSTAR 3)

OPS 5113 (NAVSTAR 3) is an active satellite operated by U.S. Space Force (United States), launched on 1978-10-07 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 48 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 20,549 km and 21,100 km with an inclination of 62.9°. It travels at approximately 13,782 km/h (3.83 km/s), completing one full orbit every 12 hours 24 minutes — that’s roughly 1.94 orbits per day. It is part of the Gps Ops constellation group. Orbital Radar tracks OPS 5113 (NAVSTAR 3) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OPS 5113 (NAVSTAR 3) orbits at an average altitude of 20,825 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of OPS 5113 (NAVSTAR 3)’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 18 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 62.9°, OPS 5113 (NAVSTAR 3) passes over latitudes between 62.9°N and 62.9°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total.