GLOBALSTAR M002

GLOBALSTAR M002 is an active satellite operated by Globalstar (Globalstar), launched on 1998-02-14 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 28 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,856 km and 1,860 km with an inclination of 52.0°. It travels at approximately 25,055 km/h (6.96 km/s), completing one full orbit every 2 hours 4 minutes — that’s roughly 11.62 orbits per day. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is thousands of years. Orbital Radar tracks GLOBALSTAR M002 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GLOBALSTAR M002 orbits at an average altitude of 1,858 km in the uppermost reaches of Low Earth Orbit. At this altitude, orbital decay is effectively zero without active deorbiting, and coverage footprints are significantly larger than lower LEO, though at the cost of higher latency. Within ±50 km of GLOBALSTAR M002’s average altitude, there are currently 5 active payloads and 24 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 52.0°, GLOBALSTAR M002 passes over latitudes between 52.0°N and 52.0°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Globalstar operates approximately 84 active satellites in total, of which 5 share a similar altitude band with GLOBALSTAR M002.