NUSTAR

NUSTAR is an active satellite operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (United States), launched on 2012-06-13 from KWAJL. After 14 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 535 km and 545 km with an inclination of 6.0°. It travels at approximately 27,340 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.09 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 ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks NUSTAR in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

NUSTAR orbits at an average altitude of 540 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 NUSTAR’s average altitude, there are currently 3,504 active payloads and 327 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, STARLINK-1451. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 20.1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 6.0°, NUSTAR passes over latitudes between 6.0°N and 6.0°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 2,823 share a similar altitude band with NUSTAR.