VANGUARD R/B, 12

Orbit data source: Space-Track

VANGUARD R/B, 12 is space debris in LEO originally from a launch on Tue, 17 Feb 1959 UTC launched from the Air Force Eastern Test Range (AFETR). Debris objects in space refer to the collection of defunct objects orbiting the Earth. Examples of debris include non-operational satellites, rocket bodies, and fragments generated from explosions, collisions, or faulty payload assembly.

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Iframe URL

https://www.satcat.com/sats-embedded/12?theme=dark&initialShowStats=false

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ISO8601 Format

Identifier

12, 1959-001B

Orbit

LEO

Country

Related business

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (US)

Manufacturer

GCR/Redlands

Mission

Spacecraft

Bus & Motor

33-KS-2800, Unknown motor

Mass

22 kg wet, 22 kg dry

Launch date (UTC)

1959-02-17 (67 years ago)

Launch vehicle

Unknown

Launch site

Air Force Eastern Test Range (AFETR)

Object type

Payload

Rocket body

Debris

Shape & HBR

Unknown

Radar Cross Section

Medium (>0.1 m² and <1 m²)

Expand to show TLE details & history
Last TLE update: 1 day ago

TLE from 1 day ago

0 VANGUARD R/B
1 00012U 59001B   26015.38256632  .00000600  00000-0  35110-3 0  9996
2 00012  32.9009  43.7691 1647262  15.9193 348.7410 11.48478335513756

Epoch: 2026-01-15T09:10Z

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-01-15T09:10:53.730Z)

Latitude

0.00001°

Longitude

151.20825°

Altitude

589.76 km

Speed

8.149 km/s

True Right ascension

02h 55m 04s

True Declination

0° 00' 00"

Sunlit

Object was in daylight at epoch

Visualization orbit readout

Latitude

Unknown

Longitude

Unknown

Altitude

Unknown

Speed

Unknown

Apparent Right ascension

Unknown

Apparent Declination

Unknown

Sunlit

N/A

Visualization observer readout

Local Sidereal Time

09:26:16

Azimuth

Unknown

Elevation

Unknown

Doppler factor

Unknown

Orbital elements

Apogee altitude

3,290.653 km

Perigee altitude

555.756 km

Semi-major axis

8,301.341 km

Eccentricity

0.16473

Inclination

32.9009°

RAAN

43.7691°

Arg. of periapsis

15.9193°

True anomaly

344.14008°

Mean anomaly

348.741°

Eccentric anomaly

346.54491°

Mean motion

2.8696 °/min

Orbital period

125.45 mins

BSTAR

0.0003511

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Other satellites on launch #1 in the year 1959 (1959-02-17 UTC)

VANGUARD DEB, 5807 (Decayed)

VANGUARD DEB, 14934 (Decayed)

VANGUARD 2, 11

VANGUARD DEB, 61446

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VANGUARD R/B Visibility forecast

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Span	Click to sort rows by Start time (UTC) header in descending order	Start Az.	Max El. time (UTC)	Max El. Az.	Max El.	End time (UTC)	End Az.
20 mins	2026-01-16 10:41:32.386Z	256.692° W	2026-01-16 10:48:32.386Z	195.601° SSW	33.735°	2026-01-16 11:01:32.386Z	135.466° SSE
19 mins	2026-01-16 12:55:32.386Z	249.699° W	2026-01-16 13:03:32.386Z	209.859° SW	20.776°	2026-01-16 13:14:32.386Z	170.563° S
6 mins	2026-01-17 05:15:32.386Z	186.004° SSW	2026-01-17 05:17:32.386Z	151.957° SSE	21.307°	2026-01-17 05:21:32.386Z	106.004° ESE
13 mins	2026-01-17 07:25:32.386Z	239.109° WSW	2026-01-17 07:29:32.386Z	170.161° S	37.124°	2026-01-17 07:38:32.386Z	102.335° ESE

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Co-orbital & Co-planar RSOs

Thresholds — Semi-major Axis: ±100 km, RAAN: ±3°, Inclination: ±5°
TCA is derived from TLE conjunctions

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CAUTION: Conjunctions in this section are generated from low-fidelity TLE screenings

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Check out VANGUARD R/B, 12 on other resources

View VANGUARD R/B, 12 on Heavens-Above

View VANGUARD R/B, 12 on Keep Track

View VANGUARD R/B, 12 on Celestrak

View VANGUARD R/B, 12 on Gunter's Space Page

Satcat and Kayhan Space are not affiliated with NASA, Celestrak, Heavens-Above, Keep Track, or Gunter's Space Page.

VANGUARD R/B, 12

Orbit data source: Space-Track

Expand to show TLE details & historyLast TLE update: 1 day ago

TLE from 1 day ago

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-01-15T09:10:53.730Z)

Visualization orbit readout

Visualization observer readout

Orbital elements

Other satellites on launch #1 in the year 1959 (1959-02-17 UTC)

VANGUARD R/B Visibility forecast

Co-orbital & Co-planar RSOs

Check out VANGUARD R/B, 12 on other resources

Documentation

Expand to show TLE details & history
Last TLE update: 1 day ago