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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Identifier
Orbit
Country
USRelated business
Manufacturer
NASA LaRC
Mission
Spacecraft
Bus & Motor
S-55, Unknown motor
Mass
100 kg wet, 76 kg dry
Launch date (UTC)
Launch vehicle
Launch site
Object type
Shape & HBR
Unknown
Radar Cross Section
Medium (>0.1 m² and <1 m²)
Expand to show TLE details & historyLast TLE update: 19 hours ago
TLE from 19 hours ago
0 EXPLORER 16
1 00506U 62070A 26120.77064397 .00000034 00000-0 11536-3 0 9996
2 00506 52.0027 245.7221 0275871 195.7745 163.4452 13.85783555202188Epoch: 2026-04-30T18:29Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-04-30T18:29:43.639Z)
Latitude
0.00002°
Longitude
109.57781°
Altitude
1,138.207 km
Speed
7.188 km/s
True Right ascension
16h 22m 53s
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
20:52:58
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
1,145.854 km
Perigee altitude
741.869 km
Semi-major axis
7,321.999 km
Eccentricity
0.02759
Inclination
52.0027°
RAAN
245.7221°
Arg. of periapsis
195.7745°
True anomaly
164.31705°
Mean anomaly
163.4452°
Eccentric anomaly
163.88396°
Mean motion
3.46417 °/min
Orbital period
103.92 mins
BSTAR
0.00011536
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Other satellites on launch #70 in the year 1962 (1962-12-16 UTC)
No other RSOs were in this launch
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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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 mins | 2026-05-01 13:51:31.280Z | 293.673° NW | 2026-05-01 13:56:31.280Z | 343.138° N | 26.444° | 2026-05-01 14:02:31.280Z | 50.637° ENE |
| 10 mins | 2026-05-01 15:42:31.280Z | 317.274° NNW | 2026-05-01 15:47:31.280Z | 18.907° NNE | 28.263° | 2026-05-01 15:52:31.280Z | 76.851° E |
| 10 mins | 2026-05-01 17:31:31.280Z | 309.777° NW | 2026-05-01 17:36:31.280Z | 10.312° NNE | 44.485° | 2026-05-01 17:41:31.280Z | 123.535° SE |
| 7 mins | 2026-05-01 19:21:31.280Z | 273.434° WNW | 2026-05-01 19:24:31.280Z | 236.358° WSW | 20.132° | 2026-05-01 19:28:31.280Z | 188.225° SSW |
| 7 mins | 2026-05-02 08:42:31.280Z | 150.933° SSE | 2026-05-02 08:45:31.280Z | 124.402° SE | 16.216° | 2026-05-02 08:49:31.280Z | 88.903° E |
| 13 mins | 2026-05-02 10:27:31.280Z | 217.506° SW | 2026-05-02 10:33:31.280Z | 148.598° SSE | 43.141° | 2026-05-02 10:40:31.280Z | 55.914° ENE |
| 11 mins | 2026-05-02 12:17:31.280Z | 270.275° WNW | 2026-05-02 12:22:31.280Z | 327.943° NNW | 34.645° | 2026-05-02 12:28:31.280Z | 44.481° NE |
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 descending order |
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CAUTION: Conjunctions in this section are generated from low-fidelity TLE screenings
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