GLOBAL-16

GLOBAL-16 is an active satellite operated by BlackSky Global (United States), launched on 2021-12-09 from RLLC. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 407 km and 425 km with an inclination of 42.0°. It travels at approximately 27,589 km/h (7.66 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.50 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks GLOBAL-16 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GLOBAL-16 orbits at an average altitude of 416 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 GLOBAL-16’s average altitude, there are currently 2,602 active payloads and 117 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 14.9% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 42.0°, GLOBAL-16 passes over latitudes between 42.0°N and 42.0°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 2,402 share a similar altitude band with GLOBAL-16.