GLOBALSTAR M049

GLOBALSTAR M049 is an active satellite operated by Globalstar (Globalstar), launched on 1999-06-10 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 27 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 2,098 km and 2,102 km with an inclination of 52.0°. It travels at approximately 24,695 km/h (6.86 km/s), completing one full orbit every 2 hours 9 minutes — that’s roughly 11.12 orbits per day. Orbital Radar tracks GLOBALSTAR M049 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GLOBALSTAR M049 orbits at an average altitude of 2,100 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 GLOBALSTAR M049’s average altitude, there are currently 8 active payloads and 8 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 M049 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 7 share a similar altitude band with GLOBALSTAR M049.