OPS 5960

OPS 5960 is an active satellite operated by SAMSO (United States), launched on 1970-11-06 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the DSP 1 launch. After more than 56 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 25,902 km and 36,065 km with an inclination of 15.3°. It travels at approximately 11,760 km/h (3.27 km/s), completing one full orbit every 19 hours 58 minutes — that’s roughly 1.20 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.1360 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks OPS 5960 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OPS 5960 orbits at an average altitude of 30,984 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 15.3°, OPS 5960 passes over latitudes between 15.3°N and 15.3°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. United States operates approximately 13,279 active satellites in total.