OBJECT U

OBJECT U (NORAD ID 62395) is a space object catalogued under Unknown, launched on 2024-12-21 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the Bandwagon-2 launch. Independent catalogue analysis identifies this object as OWLSAT-09, attributed to ONDO Space. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 389 km and 396 km with an inclination of 45.0°. It travels at approximately 27,637 km/h (7.68 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.58 orbits per day. 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 U in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT U orbits at an average altitude of 393 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of OBJECT U’s average altitude, there are currently 1,394 active payloads and 76 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ISS (ZARYA), STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 7.4% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 45.0°, OBJECT U passes over latitudes between 45.0°N and 45.0°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.