GLOBAL-4

GLOBAL-4 is an active satellite operated by BlackSky Global (United States), launched on 2019-08-19 from RLLC. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 371 km and 379 km with an inclination of 45.0°. It travels at approximately 27,672 km/h (7.69 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.65 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 months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks GLOBAL-4 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GLOBAL-4 orbits at an average altitude of 375 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of GLOBAL-4’s average altitude, there are currently 1,322 active payloads and 55 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1020. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 7.6% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 45.0°, GLOBAL-4 passes over latitudes between 45.0°N and 45.0°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, of which 1,192 share a similar altitude band with GLOBAL-4.