OPS 5117 (NAVSTAR 5)

OPS 5117 (NAVSTAR 5) is an active satellite operated by U.S. Space Force (United States), launched on 1980-02-09 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 46 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 18,884 km and 21,478 km with an inclination of 64.8°. It travels at approximately 13,948 km/h (3.87 km/s), completing one full orbit every 11 hours 58 minutes — that’s roughly 2.01 orbits per day. It is part of the Gps Ops constellation group. Orbital Radar tracks OPS 5117 (NAVSTAR 5) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OPS 5117 (NAVSTAR 5) orbits at an average altitude of 20,181 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 5117 (NAVSTAR 5)’s average altitude, there are currently 102 active payloads and 14 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include GPS BIIR-5 (PRN 22), GPS BIIR-8 (PRN 16), GPS BIIR-11 (PRN 19). With an inclination of 64.8°, OPS 5117 (NAVSTAR 5) passes over latitudes between 64.8°N and 64.8°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 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 43 share a similar altitude band with OPS 5117 (NAVSTAR 5).