SURCAL 159, 2872
Orbit data source: Space-Track
SURCAL 159, 2872 is a payload satellite owned by NRL (US) in LEO that was launched on Wed, 31 May 1967 UTC via a THOR SLV-2 AGENA D 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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2872 intel report (Beta)
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Edit Public Description
Identifier
Orbit
Country
USRelated business
Manufacturer
NRL
Mission
Operational Defense Calibration
Bus & Motor
NRL 14"?, Unknown motor
Mass
3 kg wet, 3 kg dry
Launch date (UTC)
Launch vehicle
Launch site
Object type
Shape & HBR
Sphere, 0.2 m
Radar Cross Section
0.126 m², Medium (>0.1 m² and < 1m²)
Expand to show TLE details & historyLast TLE update: 16 hours ago
TLE from 16 hours ago
0 SURCAL 159
1 02872U 67053F 25258.64343953 .00000090 00000-0 98712-4 0 9999
2 02872 69.9726 231.9708 0003983 128.1162 232.0305 13.99501012971793Epoch: 2025-09-15T15:26Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2025-09-15T15:26:33.175Z)
Latitude
-0.00001°
Longitude
5.48742°
Altitude
899.621 km
Speed
7.402 km/s
True Right ascension
15h 27m 52s
True Declination
0° 00' 00"
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
00:36:20
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
896.463 km
Perigee altitude
890.67 km
Semi-major axis
7,271.703 km
Eccentricity
0.0004
Inclination
69.9726°
RAAN
231.9708°
Arg. of periapsis
128.1162°
True anomaly
231.99453°
Mean anomaly
232.0305°
Eccentric anomaly
232.01251°
Mean motion
3.50017 °/min
Orbital period
102.85 mins
BSTAR
0.000098712
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Other satellites on launch #53 in the year 1967 (1967-05-31 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.SURCAL 159 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 | 2025-09-16 09:08:44.141Z | 339.672° N | 2025-09-16 09:14:44.141Z | 79.914° E | 43.241° | 2025-09-16 09:19:44.141Z | 147.263° SSE |
| 4 mins | 2025-09-16 10:57:44.141Z | 277.784° WNW | 2025-09-16 10:58:44.141Z | 266.226° W | 15.327° | 2025-09-16 11:01:44.141Z | 232.475° WSW |
| 7 mins | 2025-09-16 22:26:44.141Z | 144.271° SSE | 2025-09-16 22:29:44.141Z | 108.597° ESE | 21.22° | 2025-09-16 22:33:44.141Z | 58.871° ENE |
| 10 mins | 2025-09-17 00:10:44.141Z | 227.988° WSW | 2025-09-17 00:14:44.141Z | 285.624° WNW | 37.672° | 2025-09-17 00:20:44.141Z | 14.835° NNE |
| 5 mins | 2025-09-17 07:27:44.141Z | 26.02° NE | 2025-09-17 07:29:44.141Z | 49.009° ENE | 15.12° | 2025-09-17 07:32:44.141Z | 80.758° E |
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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