NAVSTAR 66 (USA 232)

NAVSTAR 66 (USA 232) is an active satellite operated by DoD/US Air Force (United States), launched on 2011-07-16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. After 15 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 19,805 km and 20,559 km with an inclination of 56.6°. 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 66 (USA 232) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

NAVSTAR 66 (USA 232) orbits at an average altitude of 20,182 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 66 (USA 232)’s average altitude, there are currently 102 active payloads and 13 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include GPS BIIR-5 (PRN 22), GPS BIIR-8 (PRN 16), GPS BIIR-11 (PRN 19). With an inclination of 56.6°, NAVSTAR 66 (USA 232) passes over latitudes between 56.6°N and 56.6°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 43 share a similar altitude band with NAVSTAR 66 (USA 232).