MIDAS 5 (STRONGBACK)

MIDAS 5 (STRONGBACK) is an active satellite operated by USAF SSD (United States), launched on 1962-04-09 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States. After more than 64 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 2,787 km and 3,407 km with an inclination of 86.7°. It travels at approximately 23,358 km/h (6.49 km/s), completing one full orbit every 2 hours 33 minutes — that’s roughly 9.41 orbits per day. Orbital Radar tracks MIDAS 5 (STRONGBACK) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

MIDAS 5 (STRONGBACK) orbits at an average altitude of 3,097 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 MIDAS 5 (STRONGBACK)’s average altitude, there are currently 2 active payloads and 6 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 86.7°, MIDAS 5 (STRONGBACK) passes over latitudes between 86.7°N and 86.7°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 13,279 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with MIDAS 5 (STRONGBACK).