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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Edit Public Description
Identifier
Orbit
Country
USRelated business
Manufacturer
GE/MSVD
Mission
Non-operational spacecraft
Bus & Motor
NIMBUS, Unknown motor
Mass
414 kg wet, 414 kg dry
Launch date (UTC)
Launch vehicle
Launch site
Object type
Shape & HBR
Unknown
Radar Cross Section
Large (>1 m²)
Expand to show TLE details & historyLast TLE update: 1 day ago
TLE from 1 day ago
0 NIMBUS 2
1 02173U 66040A 25300.34779431 -.00000015 00000-0 65143-4 0 9997
2 02173 100.5543 147.3312 0055698 121.9930 50.4348 13.33705864892588Epoch: 2025-10-27T08:20Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2025-10-27T08:20:49.428Z)
Latitude
6.88803°
Longitude
167.45741°
Altitude
1,108.41 km
Speed
7.312 km/s
True Right ascension
21h 54m 27s
True Declination
6° 50' 57"
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
09:46:28
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
1,172.006 km
Perigee altitude
1,088.366 km
Semi-major axis
7,508.323 km
Eccentricity
0.00557
Inclination
100.5543°
RAAN
147.3312°
Arg. of periapsis
121.993°
True anomaly
50.92901°
Mean anomaly
50.4348°
Eccentric anomaly
50.68169°
Mean motion
3.33602 °/min
Orbital period
107.91 mins
BSTAR
0.000065143
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Other satellites on launch #40 in the year 1966 (1966-05-15 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.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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mins | 2025-10-28 14:18:13.338Z | 283.65° WNW | 2025-10-28 14:18:13.338Z | 283.65° WNW | 39.562° | 2025-10-28 14:23:13.338Z | 334.158° NNW |
| 7 mins | 2025-10-29 01:33:13.338Z | 60.917° ENE | 2025-10-29 01:36:13.338Z | 93.879° ESE | 19.453° | 2025-10-29 01:40:13.338Z | 134.858° SE |
| 11 mins | 2025-10-29 03:18:13.338Z | 6.399° NNE | 2025-10-29 03:23:13.338Z | 277.218° WNW | 42.036° | 2025-10-29 03:29:13.338Z | 210.873° SW |
| 5 mins | 2025-10-29 11:55:13.338Z | 71.322° E | 2025-10-29 11:57:13.338Z | 51.925° ENE | 14.233° | 2025-10-29 12:00:13.338Z | 24.495° NE |
| 11 mins | 2025-10-29 13:37:13.338Z | 156.071° SSE | 2025-10-29 13:42:13.338Z | 83.158° E | 44.526° | 2025-10-29 13:48:13.338Z | 347.014° N |
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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