NAVSTAR 19 (USA 54)

NAVSTAR 19 (USA 54) is an active satellite operated by U.S. Space Force (United States), launched on 1990-03-26 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 36 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 20,930 km and 21,186 km with an inclination of 53.5°. It travels at approximately 13,724 km/h (3.81 km/s), completing one full orbit every 12 hours 34 minutes — that’s roughly 1.91 orbits per day. It is part of the Gps Ops constellation group. Orbital Radar tracks NAVSTAR 19 (USA 54) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

NAVSTAR 19 (USA 54) orbits at an average altitude of 21,058 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 19 (USA 54)’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 21 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 53.5°, NAVSTAR 19 (USA 54) passes over latitudes between 53.5°N and 53.5°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.