NOVA 3

NOVA 3 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 1984-10-12 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 42 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,149 km and 1,197 km with an inclination of 90.1°. It travels at approximately 26,168 km/h (7.27 km/s), completing one full orbit every 109 minutes — that’s roughly 13.23 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. Orbital Radar tracks NOVA 3 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

NOVA 3 orbits at an average altitude of 1,173 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of NOVA 3’s average altitude, there are currently 841 active payloads and 257 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0012, ONEWEB-0010, ONEWEB-0008. With an inclination of 90.1°, NOVA 3 passes over latitudes between 90.1°N and 90.1°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 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 9 share a similar altitude band with NOVA 3.