FALCONSAT

FALCONSAT is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 2000-01-27 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 26 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 741 km and 794 km with an inclination of 100.2°. It travels at approximately 26,901 km/h (7.47 km/s), completing one full orbit every 100 minutes — that’s roughly 14.37 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. Orbital Radar tracks FALCONSAT in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

FALCONSAT orbits at an average altitude of 768 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of FALCONSAT’s average altitude, there are currently 390 active payloads and 2,081 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 100.2°, FALCONSAT passes over latitudes between 100.2°N and 100.2°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 151 share a similar altitude band with FALCONSAT.