OPS 7724

OPS 7724 is an active satellite operated by NRO / SAFSP (United States), launched on 1973-08-21 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the Jumpseat 3 launch. After more than 53 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 675 km and 39,668 km with an inclination of 63.0°. It travels at approximately 13,951 km/h (3.88 km/s), completing one full orbit every 11 hours 58 minutes — that’s roughly 2.01 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.7345 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks OPS 7724 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OPS 7724 orbits at an average altitude of 20,172 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of OPS 7724’s average altitude, there are currently 107 active payloads and 14 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 63.0°, OPS 7724 passes over latitudes between 63.0°N and 63.0°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 13,279 active satellites in total, of which 44 share a similar altitude band with OPS 7724.