TIROS 10

TIROS 10 is an active satellite operated by ESSA (United States), launched on 1965-07-02 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the Tiros OT1 launch. After more than 61 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 713 km and 793 km with an inclination of 98.5°. It travels at approximately 26,928 km/h (7.48 km/s), completing one full orbit every 100 minutes — that’s roughly 14.42 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. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. Orbital Radar tracks TIROS 10 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

TIROS 10 orbits at an average altitude of 753 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 TIROS 10’s average altitude, there are currently 404 active payloads and 2,158 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 98.5°, TIROS 10 passes over latitudes between 98.5°N and 98.5°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 13,279 active satellites in total, of which 177 share a similar altitude band with TIROS 10.