OPS 5118 (NAVSTAR 6)

OPS 5118 (NAVSTAR 6) is an active satellite operated by U.S. Space Force (United States), launched on 1980-04-26 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 18,477 km and 21,383 km with an inclination of 61.8°. It travels at approximately 14,015 km/h (3.89 km/s), completing one full orbit every 11 hours 48 minutes — that’s roughly 2.03 orbits per day. It is part of the Gps Ops constellation group. Orbital Radar tracks OPS 5118 (NAVSTAR 6) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OPS 5118 (NAVSTAR 6) orbits at an average altitude of 19,930 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 5118 (NAVSTAR 6)’s average altitude, there are currently 5 active payloads and 24 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 61.8°, OPS 5118 (NAVSTAR 6) passes over latitudes between 61.8°N and 61.8°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 12,360 active satellites in total.