NAVSTAR 60 (USA 196)

NAVSTAR 60 (USA 196) is an active satellite operated by DoD/US Air Force (United States), launched on 2007-10-17 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the Navstar GPS SVN 55 launch. After 19 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 19,734 km and 20,632 km with an inclination of 54.2°. It travels at approximately 13,948 km/h (3.87 km/s), completing one full orbit every 11 hours 58 minutes — that’s roughly 2.01 orbits per day. It is part of the Gps Ops constellation group. Orbital Radar tracks NAVSTAR 60 (USA 196) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

NAVSTAR 60 (USA 196) orbits at an average altitude of 20,183 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 NAVSTAR 60 (USA 196)’s average altitude, there are currently 103 active payloads and 16 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 54.2°, NAVSTAR 60 (USA 196) passes over latitudes between 54.2°N and 54.2°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United States operates approximately 13,204 active satellites in total, of which 43 share a similar altitude band with NAVSTAR 60 (USA 196).