LES 5

LES 5 is an active satellite operated by SAMSO (United States), launched on 1967-07-01 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the IDCSP 16 launch. After more than 59 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 33,189 km and 33,613 km with an inclination of 2.9°. It travels at approximately 11,397 km/h (3.17 km/s), completing one full orbit every 21 hours 56 minutes — that’s roughly 1.09 orbits per day. Orbital Radar tracks LES 5 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

LES 5 occupies geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where its orbital period matches the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. From the ground, it appears to hover over a fixed point — ideal for broadcast television, weather monitoring and wideband communications. With an inclination of 2.9°, it traces a small figure-of-eight pattern relative to the equator rather than remaining perfectly stationary, which can indicate aging stationkeeping fuel or a deliberate inclined-orbit strategy. Within ±50 km of LES 5’s average altitude, there are currently 2 active payloads and 0 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 13,279 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with LES 5.