FLTSATCOM 7 (USA 20), 17181
Orbit data source: Space-Track
FLTSATCOM 7 (USA 20), 17181 is an American payload satellite in GEO that was launched on Fri, 05 Dec 1986 UTC via an ATLAS G CENTAUR launch vehicle from the Air Force Eastern Test Range (AFETR). Payload-class satellites include a variety of spacecraft equipped with specific instruments for various scientific and technological missions. These include communications satellites like Starlink; space stations such as the ISS; scientific satellites like the Hubble; Earth observation satellites from companies like Planet Labs, Umbra, and HawkEye 360; GPS; miniature CubeSats for education and research; and military/defense satellites.
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17181 intel report (Beta)
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Edit Public Description
Identifier
Orbit
Country
USRelated business
Manufacturer
TRW
Mission
Non-operational Defense Communications
Bus & Motor
FLTSATCOM, STAR 37FM
Mass
1,928 kg wet, 822 kg dry
Launch date (UTC)
Launch vehicle
Launch site
Object type
Shape & HBR
Hex Cyl + 2 Pan, 6.6 m
Radar Cross Section
11.308 m², Large (>1 m²)
Expand to show TLE details & historyLast TLE update: 15 hours ago
TLE from 15 hours ago
0 FLTSATCOM 7 (USA 20)
1 17181U 86096A 26034.52662439 -.00000095 00000-0 00000-0 0 9994
2 17181 12.8083 340.9232 0043858 326.0554 213.1313 0.98929537150640Epoch: 2026-02-03T12:38Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-02-03T12:38:20.347Z)
Latitude
0.24903°
Longitude
-163.40014°
Altitude
36,324.078 km
Speed
3.05 km/s
True Right ascension
10h 39m 33s
True Declination
0° 14' 56"
Sunlit
Visualization orbit readout
Latitude
Unknown
Longitude
Unknown
Altitude
Unknown
Speed
Unknown
Apparent Right ascension
Unknown
Apparent Declination
Unknown
Sunlit
Visualization observer readout
Local Sidereal Time
05:21:30
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
36,354.708 km
Perigee altitude
35,981.509 km
Semi-major axis
42,546.246 km
Eccentricity
0.00439
Inclination
12.8083°
RAAN
340.9232°
Arg. of periapsis
326.0554°
True anomaly
212.85787°
Mean anomaly
213.1313°
Eccentric anomaly
212.99446°
Mean motion
0.24732 °/min
Orbital period
1,455.63 mins
BSTAR
0
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Other satellites on launch #96 in the year 1986 (1986-12-05 UTC)
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You can import UDL-sourced sensor .json files into the Sandbox to generate a visibility chart that accounts for multi-vendor sensor geometry.FLTSATCOM 7 (USA 20) 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 609 mins | 2026-02-04 03:24:43.748Z | 257.101° W | 2026-02-04 07:02:43.748Z | 261.31° W | 20.658° | 2026-02-04 13:33:43.748Z | 250.877° W |
| 145 mins | 2026-02-05 00:59:43.748Z | 253.225° W | 2026-02-05 03:24:43.748Z | 259.96° W | 14.172° | 2026-02-05 03:24:43.748Z | 259.96° W |
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17181 neighbors
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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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