NOAA 17

NOAA 17 is an active satellite operated by NOAA (United States), launched on 2002-06-24 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 24 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 796 km and 813 km with an inclination of 98.9°. It travels at approximately 26,832 km/h (7.45 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.26 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. It is part of the Weather constellation group. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks NOAA 17 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

NOAA 17 orbits at an average altitude of 805 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of NOAA 17’s average altitude, there are currently 442 active payloads and 2,294 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 98.9°, NOAA 17 passes over latitudes between 98.9°N and 98.9°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 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 152 share a similar altitude band with NOAA 17.