SWAS

SWAS is an active satellite operated by GSFC (United States), launched on 1998-12-06 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the SWAS launch. With over 28 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 534 km and 538 km with an inclination of 69.9°. It travels at approximately 27,348 km/h (7.60 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.10 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 ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks SWAS in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SWAS orbits at an average altitude of 536 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of SWAS’s average altitude, there are currently 1,769 active payloads and 350 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, STARLINK-1451. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 9.5% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 69.9°, SWAS passes over latitudes between 69.9°N and 69.9°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 13,204 active satellites in total, of which 1,082 share a similar altitude band with SWAS.