CHIPSAT

CHIPSAT is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 2003-01-13 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 23 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 416 km and 427 km with an inclination of 94.0°. It travels at approximately 27,578 km/h (7.66 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.48 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 ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks CHIPSAT in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CHIPSAT orbits at an average altitude of 422 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of CHIPSAT’s average altitude, there are currently 3,309 active payloads and 129 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1017. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 19% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 94.0°, CHIPSAT passes over latitudes between 94.0°N and 94.0°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 3,090 share a similar altitude band with CHIPSAT.