TYVAK-0173

TYVAK-0173 is an active satellite operated by Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems, Inc. (Australia), launched on 2021-06-30 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the Transporter-2 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 615 km and 630 km with an inclination of 96.0°. It travels at approximately 27,178 km/h (7.55 km/s), completing one full orbit every 97 minutes — that’s roughly 14.82 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. Orbital Radar tracks TYVAK-0173 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

TYVAK-0173 orbits at an average altitude of 623 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of TYVAK-0173’s average altitude, there are currently 1,048 active payloads and 852 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3055, STARLINK-3109. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 5.6% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 96.0°, TYVAK-0173 passes over latitudes between 96.0°N and 96.0°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. Australia operates approximately 41 active satellites in total, of which 8 share a similar altitude band with TYVAK-0173.