GLOBALSTAR M048

GLOBALSTAR M048 is an active satellite operated by Globalstar (Globalstar), launched on 1999-07-25 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the Globalstar D-5 launch. With over 27 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 1,980 km and 2,002 km with an inclination of 51.9°. It travels at approximately 24,855 km/h (6.90 km/s), completing one full orbit every 2 hours 7 minutes — that’s roughly 11.34 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is thousands of years. Orbital Radar tracks GLOBALSTAR M048 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GLOBALSTAR M048 orbits at an average altitude of 1,991 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 M048’s average altitude, there are currently 9 active payloads and 30 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 51.9°, GLOBALSTAR M048 passes over latitudes between 51.9°N and 51.9°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 6 share a similar altitude band with GLOBALSTAR M048.