CP5

CP5 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 2012-09-13 from Vandenberg SFB, California. After 14 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 429 km and 536 km with an inclination of 64.6°. It travels at approximately 27,455 km/h (7.63 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.28 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks CP5 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

CP5 orbits at an average altitude of 483 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 CP5’s average altitude, there are currently 8,086 active payloads and 220 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1047. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 46.4% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 64.6°, CP5 passes over latitudes between 64.6°N and 64.6°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 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 7,507 share a similar altitude band with CP5.