NAVSTAR 10 (USA 5)

NAVSTAR 10 (USA 5) is an active satellite operated by U.S. Space Force (United States), launched on 1984-09-08 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 42 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 20,502 km and 21,314 km with an inclination of 62.1°. It travels at approximately 13,761 km/h (3.82 km/s), completing one full orbit every 12 hours 28 minutes — that’s roughly 1.93 orbits per day. It is part of the Gps Ops constellation group. Orbital Radar tracks NAVSTAR 10 (USA 5) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

NAVSTAR 10 (USA 5) orbits at an average altitude of 20,908 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 NAVSTAR 10 (USA 5)’s average altitude, there are currently 4 active payloads and 13 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 62.1°, NAVSTAR 10 (USA 5) passes over latitudes between 62.1°N and 62.1°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 4 share a similar altitude band with NAVSTAR 10 (USA 5).