RAWHIDE-2

RAWHIDE-2 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 2026-04-07 from Vandenberg SFB, California on the STP-S29A launch. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 466 km and 514 km with an inclination of 60.0°. It travels at approximately 27,440 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.25 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks RAWHIDE-2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

RAWHIDE-2 orbits at an average altitude of 490 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of RAWHIDE-2’s average altitude, there are currently 9,657 active payloads and 214 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1047. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 54.2% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 60.0°, RAWHIDE-2 passes over latitudes between 60.0°N and 60.0°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 12,671 active satellites in total, of which 9,046 share a similar altitude band with RAWHIDE-2.