POPACS 2

POPACS 2 is an active satellite operated by POPACS (United States), launched on 2013-09-29 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the Cassiope launch. After 13 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 301 km and 859 km with an inclination of 81.0°. It travels at approximately 27,261 km/h (7.57 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 14.96 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks POPACS 2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

POPACS 2 orbits at an average altitude of 580 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 POPACS 2’s average altitude, there are currently 1,606 active payloads and 603 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3005, STARLINK-3055. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 8.2% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 81.0°, POPACS 2 passes over latitudes between 81.0°N and 81.0°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. United States operates approximately 13,350 active satellites in total, of which 819 share a similar altitude band with POPACS 2.