VANGUARD 3, 20
Orbit data source: Space-Track
VANGUARD 3, 20 is a payload satellite owned by GSFC (US) in LEO that was launched on Fri, 18 Sep 1959 UTC via a VANGUARD 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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20 intel report (Beta)
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Edit Public Description
Identifier
Orbit
Last TLE update
9 hours ago
Origin
Manufacturer
NRL
Mission
Civil Science
Bus & Motor
NRL 20", Unknown motor
Mass
47 kg wet, 23 kg dry
Launch date (UTC)
Launch vehicle
Launch site
Object type
Shape & HBR
Sphere + Cyl, 2.5 m
Radar Cross Section
1.104 m², Medium (>0.1 m² and < 1m²)
Expand to show TLE details & history
TLE from 9 hours ago
0 VANGUARD 3
1 00020U 59007A 25184.93664158 .00000867 00000-0 34935-3 0 9993
2 00020 33.3462 79.8608 1641979 347.8528 8.6636 11.60726810444112Epoch: 2025-07-03T22:28Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2025-07-03T22:28:45.832Z)
Latitude
-0.00005°
Longitude
-179.52647°
Altitude
529.89 km
Speed
8.189 km/s
True Right ascension
05h 19m 26s
True Declination
0° 00' 00"
Sunlit
Visualization orbit readout
Latitude
24.95022°
Longitude
-45.62327°
Altitude
2,796.469 km
Speed
6.21 km/s
Apparent Right ascension
11h 59m 44s
Apparent Declination
-1° 27' 45"
Sunlit
Visualization observer readout
Local Sidereal Time
19:15:33
Azimuth
281.293° WNW
Elevation
-15.393°
Doppler factor
1
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Other satellites on launch #7 in the year 1959 (1959-09-18 UTC)
VANGUARD 3 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 mins | 2025-07-04 19:18:46.608Z | 163.764° S | 2025-07-04 19:21:46.608Z | 132.091° SE | 13.782° | 2025-07-04 19:24:46.608Z | 108.315° ESE |
| 15 mins | 2025-07-04 21:26:46.608Z | 221.782° SW | 2025-07-04 21:31:46.608Z | 150.624° SSE | 35.967° | 2025-07-04 21:41:46.608Z | 91.752° ESE |
| 23 mins | 2025-07-04 23:35:46.608Z | 256.852° W | 2025-07-04 23:43:46.608Z | 175.667° S | 41.571° | 2025-07-04 23:58:46.608Z | 106.055° ESE |
| 26 mins | 2025-07-05 01:47:46.608Z | 263.977° W | 2025-07-05 01:56:46.608Z | 204.131° SW | 37.277° | 2025-07-05 02:13:46.608Z | 133.093° SE |
| 25 mins | 2025-07-05 04:00:46.608Z | 260.152° W | 2025-07-05 04:11:46.608Z | 213.206° SW | 24.514° | 2025-07-05 04:25:46.608Z | 167.047° S |
Event ID | Pc | Md | Secondary | Secondary name | Country | Click to unsort rows by TCA header |
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