USA 3

USA 3 is an active satellite operated by NRO / SAFSP (United States), launched on 1984-06-25 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the HEXAGON SV-19 launch. With over 42 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 518 km and 523 km with an inclination of 95.9°. It travels at approximately 27,379 km/h (7.61 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.15 orbits per day. 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 USA 3 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

USA 3 orbits at an average altitude of 521 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of USA 3’s average altitude, there are currently 5,434 active payloads and 293 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, STARLINK-1451. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 28.7% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 95.9°, USA 3 passes over latitudes between 95.9°N and 95.9°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 13,340 active satellites in total, of which 4,697 share a similar altitude band with USA 3.