EXPLORER 16, 506
Orbit data source: Space-Track
EXPLORER 16, 506 is a payload satellite owned by NASA LaRC (US) in LEO that was launched on Sun, 16 Dec 1962 UTC via an SCOUT X-3 launch vehicle from the Wallops Island (WLPIS). 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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506 intel report (Beta)
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Edit Public Description
Identifier
Orbit
Country
USRelated business
Manufacturer
NASA LaRC
Mission
Civil Science
Bus & Motor
S-55, Unknown motor
Mass
100 kg wet, 76 kg dry
Launch date (UTC)
Launch vehicle
Launch site
Object type
Shape & HBR
Cyl, 1.0 m
Radar Cross Section
1.071 m², Medium (>0.1 m² and < 1m²)
Expand to show TLE details & historyLast TLE update: 7 hours ago
TLE from 7 hours ago
0 EXPLORER 16
1 00506U 62070A 25260.31284124 -.00000050 00000-0 60735-4 0 9997
2 00506 52.0055 20.3183 0275447 295.3336 61.9293 13.85706931170929Epoch: 2025-09-17T07:30Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2025-09-17T07:30:29.483Z)
Latitude
-0.00001°
Longitude
-88.79515°
Altitude
853.952 km
Speed
7.472 km/s
True Right ascension
01h 21m 16s
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
06:49:30
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
1,145.821 km
Perigee altitude
742.441 km
Semi-major axis
7,322.268 km
Eccentricity
0.02754
Inclination
52.0055°
RAAN
20.3183°
Arg. of periapsis
295.3336°
True anomaly
64.75908°
Mean anomaly
61.9293°
Eccentric anomaly
63.33971°
Mean motion
3.46397 °/min
Orbital period
103.93 mins
BSTAR
0.000060735
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Other satellites on launch #70 in the year 1962 (1962-12-16 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.EXPLORER 16 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 mins | 2025-09-17 14:47:57.068Z | 306.513° NW | 2025-09-17 14:53:57.068Z | 8.698° NNE | 27.817° | 2025-09-17 14:59:57.068Z | 65.743° ENE |
| 13 mins | 2025-09-17 16:37:57.068Z | 314.386° NW | 2025-09-17 16:43:57.068Z | 28.312° NE | 38.838° | 2025-09-17 16:50:57.068Z | 103.968° ESE |
| 12 mins | 2025-09-17 18:26:57.068Z | 298.313° NW | 2025-09-17 18:32:57.068Z | 225.021° WSW | 38.984° | 2025-09-17 18:38:57.068Z | 154.304° SSE |
| 10 mins | 2025-09-18 09:36:57.068Z | 183.005° SSW | 2025-09-18 09:40:57.068Z | 130.458° SE | 29.639° | 2025-09-18 09:46:57.068Z | 66.404° ENE |
| 11 mins | 2025-09-18 11:24:57.068Z | 249.678° W | 2025-09-18 11:29:57.068Z | 350.849° N | 41.944° | 2025-09-18 11:35:57.068Z | 48.849° ENE |
| 10 mins | 2025-09-18 13:14:57.068Z | 296.546° NW | 2025-09-18 13:18:57.068Z | 343.191° N | 28.626° | 2025-09-18 13:24:57.068Z | 48.457° ENE |
Co-orbital & Co-planar RSOs
Thresholds — Semi-major Axis: ±100 km, RAAN: ±3°, Inclination: ±5°
TCA is derived from TLE conjunctions
Click to sort rows by RSO header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Country header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Type header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Inclination Δ header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by RAAN Δ header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Coplanar Angle header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by SMA Δ header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Orbital period header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by <5km Md TCA header in ascending order |
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CAUTION: Conjunctions in this section are generated from low-fidelity TLE screenings
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