ST5-C

ST5-C is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 2006-03-22 from WRAS. With over 20 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 255 km and 1,366 km with an inclination of 105.5°. It travels at approximately 26,820 km/h (7.45 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.24 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks ST5-C in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ST5-C orbits at an average altitude of 811 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of ST5-C’s average altitude, there are currently 433 active payloads and 2,312 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 105.5°, ST5-C passes over latitudes between 105.5°N and 105.5°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 149 share a similar altitude band with ST5-C.