NAVSTAR 37 (USA 117)

NAVSTAR 37 (USA 117) is an active satellite operated by U.S. Space Force (United States), launched on 1996-03-28 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 30 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 20,698 km and 20,742 km with an inclination of 52.8°. It travels at approximately 13,809 km/h (3.84 km/s), completing one full orbit every 12 hours 20 minutes — that’s roughly 1.95 orbits per day. It is part of the Gps Ops constellation group. Orbital Radar tracks NAVSTAR 37 (USA 117) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

NAVSTAR 37 (USA 117) orbits at an average altitude of 20,720 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 37 (USA 117)’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 6 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 52.8°, NAVSTAR 37 (USA 117) passes over latitudes between 52.8°N and 52.8°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.