DEMOSAT/FALCON 1

DEMOSAT/FALCON 1 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 2008-09-28 from KWAJL. After 18 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 570 km and 584 km with an inclination of 9.3°. It travels at approximately 27,267 km/h (7.57 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 14.97 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks DEMOSAT/FALCON 1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

DEMOSAT/FALCON 1 orbits at an average altitude of 577 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 DEMOSAT/FALCON 1’s average altitude, there are currently 3,099 active payloads and 517 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-2112, STARLINK-2722. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 17.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 9.3°, DEMOSAT/FALCON 1 passes over latitudes between 9.3°N and 9.3°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 2,545 share a similar altitude band with DEMOSAT/FALCON 1.