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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: 10 hours ago

TLE from 10 hours ago

0 NIMBUS 2
1  2173U 66040A   26130.51387440 -.00000030  00000-0  34417-4 0  9990
2  2173 100.5347 347.9845 0055694  26.0636  32.1320 13.33716168918601

Epoch: 2026-05-10T12:19Z

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-05-10T12:19:58.748Z)

Latitude

57.08974°

Longitude

-81.93724°

Altitude

1,106.862 km

Speed

7.322 km/s

True Right ascension

22h 05m 29s

True Declination

56° 56' 24"

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

06:04:20

Azimuth

Unknown

Elevation

Unknown

Doppler factor

Unknown

Orbital elements

Apogee altitude

1,171.963 km

Perigee altitude

1,088.33 km

Semi-major axis

7,508.283 km

Eccentricity

0.00557

Inclination

100.5347°

RAAN

347.9845°

Arg. of periapsis

26.0636°

True anomaly

32.47345°

Mean anomaly

32.132°

Eccentric anomaly

32.30253°

Mean motion

3.33605 °/min

Orbital period

107.91 mins

BSTAR

0.000034417

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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.
13 mins	2026-05-11 03:01:59.343Z	23.37° NE	2026-05-11 03:08:59.343Z	114.232° SE	40.75°	2026-05-11 03:14:59.343Z	181.115° SSW
9 mins	2026-05-11 04:50:59.343Z	340.253° N	2026-05-11 04:54:59.343Z	293.431° NW	23.684°	2026-05-11 04:59:59.343Z	247.148° WSW
10 mins	2026-05-11 13:23:59.343Z	118.878° SE	2026-05-11 13:27:59.343Z	66.991° ENE	30.869°	2026-05-11 13:33:59.343Z	0.681° NNE
10 mins	2026-05-11 15:09:59.343Z	202.529° SW	2026-05-11 15:13:59.343Z	253.453° W	31.699°	2026-05-11 15:19:59.343Z	326.223° NNW

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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: 10 hours ago

TLE from 10 hours ago

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-05-10T12:19:58.748Z)

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: 10 hours ago