OBJECT G

OBJECT G (NORAD ID 60209) is a space object catalogued under United States, launched on 2024-07-04 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the VCLS Demo-2FB launch. Independent catalogue analysis identifies this object as MESAT-1, attributed to U Maine. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 337 km and 346 km with an inclination of 97.2°. It travels at approximately 27,741 km/h (7.71 km/s), completing one full orbit every 91 minutes — that’s roughly 15.76 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT G in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT G orbits at an average altitude of 342 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of OBJECT G’s average altitude, there are currently 1,088 active payloads and 40 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 5.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.2°, OBJECT G passes over latitudes between 97.2°N and 97.2°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. United States operates approximately 13,196 active satellites in total, of which 1,016 share a similar altitude band with OBJECT G.