PODSAT

PODSAT is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 2018-03-06 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 196 km and 7,212 km with an inclination of 26.8°. It travels at approximately 22,644 km/h (6.29 km/s), completing one full orbit every 2 hours 48 minutes — that’s roughly 8.58 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.3482 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks PODSAT in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

PODSAT orbits at an average altitude of 3,704 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. With an inclination of 26.8°, PODSAT passes over latitudes between 26.8°N and 26.8°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. United States operates approximately 12,339 active satellites in total.