MCUBED-2

MCUBED-2 is an active satellite operated by UM / JPL (United States), launched on 2013-12-06 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the TOPAZ 3 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 405 km and 603 km with an inclination of 120.5°. It travels at approximately 27,412 km/h (7.61 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.21 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. Orbital Radar tracks MCUBED-2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

MCUBED-2 orbits at an average altitude of 504 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 MCUBED-2’s average altitude, there are currently 10,260 active payloads and 249 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1231. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 54.9% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 120.5°, MCUBED-2 passes over latitudes between 120.5°N and 120.5°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 13,204 active satellites in total, of which 9,619 share a similar altitude band with MCUBED-2.