SECOR 8 (EGRS 8)

SECOR 8 (EGRS 8) is an active satellite operated by USA ACE / GIMRADA (United States), launched on 1966-10-05 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the Midas RTS-I F3 launch. After more than 60 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 3,679 km and 3,709 km with an inclination of 89.9°. It travels at approximately 22,655 km/h (6.29 km/s), completing one full orbit every 2 hours 48 minutes — that’s roughly 8.59 orbits per day. Orbital Radar tracks SECOR 8 (EGRS 8) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SECOR 8 (EGRS 8) orbits at an average altitude of 3,694 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 SECOR 8 (EGRS 8)’s average altitude, there are currently 8 active payloads and 4 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 89.9°, SECOR 8 (EGRS 8) passes over latitudes between 89.9°N and 89.9°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 8 share a similar altitude band with SECOR 8 (EGRS 8).