OBJECT XY

OBJECT XY (NORAD ID 66912) is a space object catalogued under United States, launched on 1998-11-20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the 77KM No. 17501 launch. With over 28 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 264 km and 279 km with an inclination of 51.6°. It travels at approximately 27,887 km/h (7.75 km/s), completing one full orbit every 90 minutes — that’s roughly 16.02 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is weeks to months. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT XY in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT XY orbits at an average altitude of 272 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 XY’s average altitude, there are currently 164 active payloads and 5 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1151, STARLINK-1143, STARLINK-1280. With an inclination of 51.6°, OBJECT XY passes over latitudes between 51.6°N and 51.6°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United States operates approximately 12,358 active satellites in total, of which 137 share a similar altitude band with OBJECT XY.