RAX (USA 218)

RAX (USA 218) is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 2010-11-20 from Kodiak, Alaska. After 16 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 557 km and 574 km with an inclination of 72.0°. It travels at approximately 27,290 km/h (7.58 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.00 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks RAX (USA 218) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

RAX (USA 218) orbits at an average altitude of 566 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 RAX (USA 218)’s average altitude, there are currently 3,169 active payloads and 469 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, ONEWEB-0050. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 18.2% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 72.0°, RAX (USA 218) passes over latitudes between 72.0°N and 72.0°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 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 2,670 share a similar altitude band with RAX (USA 218).