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ESSA 8 (TOS-F), 3615

Orbit data source: Space-Track

ESSA 8 (TOS-F), 3615 is a payload satellite owned by ESSA (US) in SSO that was launched on Sun, 15 Dec 1968 UTC via a THOR DELTA N 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/3615?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/3615?theme=dark&initialShowStats=false

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Identifier

3615, 1968-114A

Orbit

SSO

Country

Related business

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US)

Manufacturer

RCA/East Windsor

Mission

Non-operational spacecraft

Bus & Motor

TIROS I, Unknown motor

Mass

131 kg wet, 131 kg dry

Launch date (UTC)

1968-12-15 (57 years ago)

Launch vehicle

THOR DELTA N

Launch site

Air Force Western Test Range (AFWTR)

Object type

Payload

Rocket body

Debris

Shape & HBR

Unknown

Radar Cross Section

Medium (>0.1 m² and <1 m²)

Expand to show TLE details & history
Last TLE update: 17 hours ago

TLE from 17 hours ago

0 ESSA 8 (TOS-F)
1 03615U 68114A   26036.74062516 -.00000027  00000-0  11006-3 0  9994
2 03615 101.6847 347.3796 0031672 217.5634 142.3227 12.56247455620055

Epoch: 2026-02-05T17:46Z

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-02-05T17:46:30.013Z)

Latitude

-0.00003°

Longitude

-55.13396°

Altitude

1,460.682 km

Speed

7.123 km/s

True Right ascension

23h 09m 31s

True Declination

0° 00' 00"

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

13:05:38

Azimuth

Unknown

Elevation

Unknown

Doppler factor

Unknown

Orbital elements

Apogee altitude

1,460.756 km

Perigee altitude

1,411.258 km

Semi-major axis

7,814.144 km

Eccentricity

0.00317

Inclination

101.6847°

RAAN

347.3796°

Arg. of periapsis

217.5634°

True anomaly

142.54384°

Mean anomaly

142.3227°

Eccentric anomaly

142.43334°

Mean motion

3.14211 °/min

Orbital period

114.57 mins

BSTAR

0.00011006

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Other satellites on launch #114 in the year 1968 (1968-12-15 UTC)

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ESSA 8 (TOS-F) 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.
10 mins	2026-02-06 11:34:44.310Z	348.245° N	2026-02-06 11:39:44.310Z	308.311° NW	19.282°	2026-02-06 11:44:44.310Z	268.216° W
11 mins	2026-02-06 18:47:44.310Z	101.363° ESE	2026-02-06 18:52:44.310Z	57.866° ENE	24.489°	2026-02-06 18:58:44.310Z	6.648° NNE
15 mins	2026-02-06 20:37:44.310Z	171.447° S	2026-02-06 20:44:44.310Z	254.776° W	43.625°	2026-02-06 20:52:44.310Z	338.588° N
4 mins	2026-02-06 22:36:44.310Z	258.658° W	2026-02-06 22:38:44.310Z	273.455° WNW	11.977°	2026-02-06 22:40:44.310Z	288.09° WNW
13 mins	2026-02-07 08:39:44.310Z	40.014° NE	2026-02-07 08:45:44.310Z	105.068° ESE	32.28°	2026-02-07 08:52:44.310Z	165.506° S
13 mins	2026-02-07 10:31:44.310Z	1.759° NNE	2026-02-07 10:37:44.310Z	300.786° NW	35.858°	2026-02-07 10:44:44.310Z	229.986° 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 ESSA 8 (TOS-F), 3615 on other resources

View ESSA 8 (TOS-F), 3615 on NASA - NSSDCA Website

View ESSA 8 (TOS-F), 3615 on Heavens-Above

View ESSA 8 (TOS-F), 3615 on Keep Track

View ESSA 8 (TOS-F), 3615 on Celestrak

View ESSA 8 (TOS-F), 3615 on Gunter's Space Page

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

ESSA 8 (TOS-F), 3615

Orbit data source: Space-Track

Expand to show TLE details & historyLast TLE update: 17 hours ago

TLE from 17 hours ago

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-02-05T17:46:30.013Z)

Visualization orbit readout

Visualization observer readout

Orbital elements

Other satellites on launch #114 in the year 1968 (1968-12-15 UTC)

ESSA 8 (TOS-F) Visibility forecast

Co-orbital & Co-planar RSOs

Check out ESSA 8 (TOS-F), 3615 on other resources

Documentation

Expand to show TLE details & history
Last TLE update: 17 hours ago