RAPTOR1

RAPTOR1 is an active satellite operated by US Space Development Agency (United States), launched on 2024-02-14 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the HBTSS/SDA-0C launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 976 km and 993 km with an inclination of 40.0°. It travels at approximately 26,501 km/h (7.36 km/s), completing one full orbit every 105 minutes — that’s roughly 13.74 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks RAPTOR1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

RAPTOR1 orbits at an average altitude of 985 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 RAPTOR1’s average altitude, there are currently 416 active payloads and 1,136 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 40.0°, RAPTOR1 passes over latitudes between 40.0°N and 40.0°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 13,342 active satellites in total, of which 146 share a similar altitude band with RAPTOR1.