GLOBALSTAR M056

GLOBALSTAR M056 is an active satellite operated by Globalstar (Globalstar), launched on 1999-10-18 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 27 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,658 km and 1,661 km with an inclination of 52.0°. It travels at approximately 25,363 km/h (7.05 km/s), completing one full orbit every 120 minutes — that’s roughly 12.05 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 thousands of years. Orbital Radar tracks GLOBALSTAR M056 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GLOBALSTAR M056 orbits at an average altitude of 1,660 km in the uppermost reaches of Low Earth Orbit. At this altitude, orbital decay is effectively zero without active deorbiting, and coverage footprints are significantly larger than lower LEO, though at the cost of higher latency. Within ±50 km of GLOBALSTAR M056’s average altitude, there are currently 21 active payloads and 98 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 M056 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 10 share a similar altitude band with GLOBALSTAR M056.