EXPLORER 38 (RAE-A)

EXPLORER 38 (RAE-A) is an active satellite operated by GSFC (United States), launched on 1968-07-04 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the RAE A launch. After more than 58 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 5,830 km and 5,856 km with an inclination of 120.8°. It travels at approximately 20,566 km/h (5.71 km/s), completing one full orbit every 3 hours 44 minutes — that’s roughly 6.43 orbits per day. Orbital Radar tracks EXPLORER 38 (RAE-A) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

EXPLORER 38 (RAE-A) orbits at an average altitude of 5,843 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 EXPLORER 38 (RAE-A)’s average altitude, there are currently 4 active payloads and 6 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 120.8°, EXPLORER 38 (RAE-A) passes over latitudes between 120.8°N and 120.8°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 13,276 active satellites in total, of which 3 share a similar altitude band with EXPLORER 38 (RAE-A).