TRANSAT

TRANSAT is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 1977-10-28 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 49 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,056 km and 1,096 km with an inclination of 89.7°. It travels at approximately 26,338 km/h (7.32 km/s), completing one full orbit every 107 minutes — that’s roughly 13.49 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. Orbital Radar tracks TRANSAT in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

TRANSAT orbits in the upper reaches of Low Earth Orbit, above 1,000 km. At this altitude, atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can remain in orbit for thousands of years without active deorbiting. This region is used by satellite broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions that need stable, long-duration orbits away from the densest debris bands. The high inclination typical at this altitude provides near-global coverage.