OPS 0082 (TRANSIT 13)

OPS 0082 (TRANSIT 13) is an active satellite operated by USN NAVAIR (United States), launched on 1966-05-19 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the NNS O-9 launch. After more than 60 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 832 km and 925 km with an inclination of 90.2°. It travels at approximately 26,694 km/h (7.42 km/s), completing one full orbit every 103 minutes — that’s roughly 14.04 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks OPS 0082 (TRANSIT 13) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OPS 0082 (TRANSIT 13) orbits at an average altitude of 879 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 OPS 0082 (TRANSIT 13)’s average altitude, there are currently 232 active payloads and 1,940 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 90.2°, OPS 0082 (TRANSIT 13) passes over latitudes between 90.2°N and 90.2°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 13,279 active satellites in total, of which 70 share a similar altitude band with OPS 0082 (TRANSIT 13).