USA 486

USA 486 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 2025-01-21 from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the Starlink Group 13-1 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 338 km and 341 km with an inclination of 43.0°. It travels at approximately 27,746 km/h (7.71 km/s), completing one full orbit every 91 minutes — that’s roughly 15.76 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 USA 486 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

USA 486 orbits at an average altitude of 340 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 USA 486’s average altitude, there are currently 1,134 active payloads and 37 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1036, STARLINK-1043, STARLINK-1048. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 6.5% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 43.0°, USA 486 passes over latitudes between 43.0°N and 43.0°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. United States operates approximately 12,413 active satellites in total, of which 1,066 share a similar altitude band with USA 486.