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

Last TLE update

10 hours ago

Origin

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 (66 years ago)

Launch vehicle

Unknown

Launch site

Air Force Eastern Test Range (AFETR)

Object type

Payload

Rocket body

Debris

Shape & HBR

Cyl, 0.8 m

Radar Cross Section

1.017 m², Medium (>0.1 m² and < 1m²)

Expand to show TLE details & history

TLE from 10 hours ago

0 VANGUARD R/B
1 00012U 59001B   25199.54109208  .00000907  00000-0  53597-3 0  9991
2 00012  32.8997 320.6413 1647414 138.8631 234.8605 11.47796929492962

Epoch: 2025-07-18T12:59Z

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2025-07-18T12:59:10.355Z)

Latitude

-0.00002°

Longitude

-170.74295°

Altitude

2,839.742 km

Speed

6.205 km/s

True Right ascension

21h 22m 33s

True Declination

0° 00' 00"

Sunlit

Object was in full shadow at epoch

Visualization orbit readout

Latitude

-30.31509°

Longitude

123.62026°

Altitude

3,066.138 km

Speed

6.038 km/s

Apparent Right ascension

19h 14m 01s

Apparent Declination

-45° 17' 02"

Sunlit

Object is in full shadow

Visualization observer readout

Local Sidereal Time

11:41:13

Azimuth

119.586° SE

Elevation

-41.955°

Doppler factor

Orbital elements

Apogee altitude

3,294.603 km

Perigee altitude

558.372 km

Semi-major axis

8,304.624 km

Eccentricity

0.16474

Inclination

32.8997°

RAAN

320.6413°

Arg. of periapsis

138.8631°

True anomaly

221.19293°

Mean anomaly

234.8605°

Eccentric anomaly

227.86128°

Mean motion

2.86789 °/min

Orbital period

125.53 mins

BSTAR

0.00053597

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

VANGUARD 2, 11

VANGUARD DEB, 5807 (Decayed)

VANGUARD DEB, 14934 (Decayed)

VANGUARD DEB, 61446

VANGUARD R/B Visibility forecast

Observer location: undefined°, undefined°

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.
18 mins	2025-07-19 09:56:42.395Z	204.597° SW	2025-07-19 10:07:42.395Z	158.26° S	23.984°	2025-07-19 10:14:42.395Z	109.397° ESE
15 mins	2025-07-19 12:12:42.395Z	233.437° WSW	2025-07-19 12:21:42.395Z	176.141° S	34.464°	2025-07-19 12:27:42.395Z	104.107° ESE
11 mins	2025-07-19 14:28:42.395Z	254.207° W	2025-07-19 14:34:42.395Z	196.236° SSW	35.027°	2025-07-19 14:39:42.395Z	116.174° SE
5 mins	2025-07-19 16:44:42.395Z	238.074° WSW	2025-07-19 16:46:42.395Z	208.813° SW	18.11°	2025-07-19 16:49:42.395Z	161.882° S

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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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

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