PAN SAT

PAN SAT is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 1998-10-29 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 294 km and 296 km with an inclination of 28.4°. It travels at approximately 27,838 km/h (7.73 km/s), completing one full orbit every 90 minutes — that’s roughly 15.93 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 weeks to months. Orbital Radar tracks PAN SAT in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

PAN SAT orbits at an average altitude of 295 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of PAN SAT’s average altitude, there are currently 367 active payloads and 13 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1067, STARLINK-1068, STARLINK-1171. With an inclination of 28.4°, PAN SAT passes over latitudes between 28.4°N and 28.4°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 325 share a similar altitude band with PAN SAT.