OPS 6553

OPS 6553 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 1982-05-11 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 44 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 542 km and 553 km with an inclination of 96.0°. It travels at approximately 27,325 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.06 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks OPS 6553 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OPS 6553 orbits at an average altitude of 548 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of OPS 6553’s average altitude, there are currently 3,476 active payloads and 355 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, ONEWEB-0050. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 20% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 96.0°, OPS 6553 passes over latitudes between 96.0°N and 96.0°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. United States operates approximately 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 2,822 share a similar altitude band with OPS 6553.