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NIMBUS 2, 2173

Orbit data source: Space-Track

NIMBUS 2, 2173 is a payload satellite owned by GSFC (US) in SSO that was launched on Sun, 15 May 1966 UTC via a THOR SLV-2A AGENA B launch vehicle from the Air Force Western Test Range (AFWTR). 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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<iframe src="https://www.satcat.com/sats-embedded/2173?theme=dark&initialShowStats=false" width="600" height="400" frameborder="0" title="Kayhan Space Satcat Satellite Viewer"></iframe>

Iframe URL

https://www.satcat.com/sats-embedded/2173?theme=dark&initialShowStats=false

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ISO8601 Format

Identifier

2173, 1966-040A

Orbit

SSO

Country

Related business

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (US)

Manufacturer

GE/MSVD

Mission

Non-operational spacecraft

Bus & Motor

NIMBUS, Unknown motor

Mass

414 kg wet, 414 kg dry

Launch date (UTC)

1966-05-15 (60 years ago)

Launch vehicle

THOR SLV-2A AGENA B

Launch site

Air Force Western Test Range (AFWTR)

Object type

Payload

Rocket body

Debris

Shape & HBR

Unknown

Radar Cross Section

Large (>1 m²)

Expand to show TLE details & history
Last TLE update: 6 hours ago

TLE from 6 hours ago

0 NIMBUS 2
1  2173U 66040A   26088.21751539 -.00000014  00000-0  65805-4 0  9990
2  2173 100.5414 304.5390 0055758 124.1761 352.3998 13.33713783912961

Epoch: 2026-03-29T05:13Z

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-03-29T05:13:13.329Z)

Latitude

61.72306°

Longitude

-120.2626°

Altitude

1,101.72 km

Speed

7.327 km/s

True Right ascension

09h 38m 40s

True Declination

61° 35' 09"

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

16:27:29

Azimuth

Unknown

Elevation

Unknown

Doppler factor

Unknown

Orbital elements

Apogee altitude

1,172.02 km

Perigee altitude

1,088.291 km

Semi-major axis

7,508.293 km

Eccentricity

0.00558

Inclination

100.5414°

RAAN

304.539°

Arg. of periapsis

124.1761°

True anomaly

352.31471°

Mean anomaly

352.3998°

Eccentric anomaly

352.35731°

Mean motion

3.33604 °/min

Orbital period

107.91 mins

BSTAR

0.000065805

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Other satellites on launch #40 in the year 1966 (1966-05-15 UTC)

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NIMBUS 2 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.
11 mins	2026-03-29 13:46:30.112Z	142.606° SSE	2026-03-29 13:51:30.112Z	58.09° ENE	41.059°	2026-03-29 13:57:30.112Z	351.928° N
8 mins	2026-03-29 15:34:30.112Z	228.076° WSW	2026-03-29 15:37:30.112Z	260.455° W	21.371°	2026-03-29 15:42:30.112Z	312.26° NW
11 mins	2026-03-30 02:51:30.112Z	29.053° NE	2026-03-30 02:56:30.112Z	96.065° ESE	38.888°	2026-03-30 03:02:30.112Z	176.891° S
9 mins	2026-03-30 04:38:30.112Z	345.911° N	2026-03-30 04:42:30.112Z	300.647° NW	24.491°	2026-03-30 04:47:30.112Z	247.386° WSW

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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 NIMBUS 2, 2173 on other resources

View NIMBUS 2, 2173 on NASA - NSSDCA Website

View NIMBUS 2, 2173 on Heavens-Above

View NIMBUS 2, 2173 on Keep Track

View NIMBUS 2, 2173 on Celestrak

View NIMBUS 2, 2173 on Gunter's Space Page

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

NIMBUS 2, 2173

Orbit data source: Space-Track

Expand to show TLE details & historyLast TLE update: 6 hours ago

TLE from 6 hours ago

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-03-29T05:13:13.329Z)

Visualization orbit readout

Visualization observer readout

Orbital elements

Other satellites on launch #40 in the year 1966 (1966-05-15 UTC)

NIMBUS 2 Visibility forecast

Co-orbital & Co-planar RSOs

Check out NIMBUS 2, 2173 on other resources

Documentation

Expand to show TLE details & history
Last TLE update: 6 hours ago