COURIER 1B

COURIER 1B is an active satellite operated by SCEL (United States), launched on 1960-10-04 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States. After more than 66 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 962 km and 1,209 km with an inclination of 28.3°. It travels at approximately 26,321 km/h (7.31 km/s), completing one full orbit every 107 minutes — that’s roughly 13.46 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. Orbital Radar tracks COURIER 1B in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

COURIER 1B orbits at an average altitude of 1,086 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of COURIER 1B’s average altitude, there are currently 309 active payloads and 548 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0041. With an inclination of 28.3°, COURIER 1B passes over latitudes between 28.3°N and 28.3°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 13,279 active satellites in total, of which 43 share a similar altitude band with COURIER 1B.