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
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: 12 hours ago
TLE from 12 hours ago
0 EXPLORER 16
1 506U 62070A 25327.46210492 .00000001 00000-0 95992-4 0 9992
2 506 51.9997 125.7976 0276917 120.0294 242.8409 13.85739994180231Epoch: 2025-11-23T11:05Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2025-11-23T11:05:25.865Z)
Latitude
0.00001°
Longitude
-103.23625°
Altitude
1,041.232 km
Speed
7.284 km/s
True Right ascension
08h 23m 11s
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
20:10:02
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
1,146.778 km
Perigee altitude
741.253 km
Semi-major axis
7,322.152 km
Eccentricity
0.02769
Inclination
51.9997°
RAAN
125.7976°
Arg. of periapsis
120.0294°
True anomaly
240.06257°
Mean anomaly
242.8409°
Eccentric anomaly
241.44725°
Mean motion
3.46406 °/min
Orbital period
103.92 mins
BSTAR
0.000095992
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Other satellites on launch #70 in the year 1962 (1962-12-16 UTC)
No other RSOs were in this launch
Did you know?
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mins | 2025-11-24 11:27:51.970Z | 150.855° SSE | 2025-11-24 11:29:51.970Z | 130.825° SE | 14.559° | 2025-11-24 11:32:51.970Z | 98.533° ESE |
| 10 mins | 2025-11-24 13:13:51.970Z | 220.727° SW | 2025-11-24 13:17:51.970Z | 178.183° S | 43.171° | 2025-11-24 13:23:51.970Z | 55.306° ENE |
| 8 mins | 2025-11-24 15:03:51.970Z | 284.155° WNW | 2025-11-24 15:06:51.970Z | 329.269° NNW | 29.242° | 2025-11-24 15:11:51.970Z | 41.414° NE |
| 7 mins | 2025-11-24 16:53:51.970Z | 318.131° NNW | 2025-11-24 16:56:51.970Z | 358.033° N | 20.622° | 2025-11-24 17:00:51.970Z | 50.26° ENE |
| 7 mins | 2025-11-24 18:43:51.970Z | 330.415° NNW | 2025-11-24 18:46:51.970Z | 27.676° NE | 30.567° | 2025-11-24 18:50:51.970Z | 88.21° E |
| 8 mins | 2025-11-24 20:31:51.970Z | 296.007° NW | 2025-11-24 20:34:51.970Z | 247.969° W | 38.931° | 2025-11-24 20:39:51.970Z | 147.729° SSE |
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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