GLAST

GLAST is an active satellite operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/GSFC (United States), launched on 2008-06-11 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. After 18 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 489 km and 499 km with an inclination of 25.6°. It travels at approximately 27,432 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.24 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 GLAST in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GLAST orbits at an average altitude of 494 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 GLAST’s average altitude, there are currently 9,156 active payloads and 238 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1047. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 52.6% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 25.6°, GLAST passes over latitudes between 25.6°N and 25.6°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. United States operates approximately 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 8,552 share a similar altitude band with GLAST.