TIROS 3

TIROS 3 is an active satellite operated by GSFC (United States), launched on 1961-07-12 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States. After more than 65 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 710 km and 772 km with an inclination of 47.9°. It travels at approximately 26,951 km/h (7.49 km/s), completing one full orbit every 100 minutes — that’s roughly 14.45 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. Orbital Radar tracks TIROS 3 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

TIROS 3 orbits at an average altitude of 741 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of TIROS 3’s average altitude, there are currently 414 active payloads and 2,048 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0179, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 47.9°, TIROS 3 passes over latitudes between 47.9°N and 47.9°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. United States operates approximately 13,276 active satellites in total, of which 169 share a similar altitude band with TIROS 3.