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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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: 10 hours ago
TLE from 10 hours ago
0 EXPLORER 16
1 506U 62070A 26187.62739419 -.00000102 00000-0 29536-4 0 9994
2 506 52.0031 352.2983 0276174 20.1024 341.0528 13.85795949211458Epoch: 2026-07-06T15:03Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-07-06T15:03:26.858Z)
Latitude
0.00001°
Longitude
-158.17326°
Altitude
753.496 km
Speed
7.575 km/s
True Right ascension
23h 29m 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
13:20:04
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
1,146.031 km
Perigee altitude
741.604 km
Semi-major axis
7,321.955 km
Eccentricity
0.02762
Inclination
52.0031°
RAAN
352.2983°
Arg. of periapsis
20.1024°
True anomaly
339.99065°
Mean anomaly
341.0528°
Eccentric anomaly
340.52525°
Mean motion
3.4642 °/min
Orbital period
103.92 mins
BSTAR
0.000029536
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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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 mins | 2026-07-07 11:58:25.669Z | 148.236° SSE | 2026-07-07 12:00:25.669Z | 124.125° SE | 13.286° | 2026-07-07 12:02:25.669Z | 100.012° ESE |
| 9 mins | 2026-07-07 13:44:25.669Z | 225.657° WSW | 2026-07-07 13:48:25.669Z | 91.619° ESE | 44.313° | 2026-07-07 13:53:25.669Z | 53.755° ENE |
| 8 mins | 2026-07-07 15:33:25.669Z | 285.339° WNW | 2026-07-07 15:37:25.669Z | 347.901° N | 27.749° | 2026-07-07 15:41:25.669Z | 39.949° NE |
| 7 mins | 2026-07-07 17:24:25.669Z | 327.071° NNW | 2026-07-07 17:27:25.669Z | 10.509° NNE | 22.949° | 2026-07-07 17:31:25.669Z | 55.944° ENE |
| 10 mins | 2026-07-07 19:12:25.669Z | 319.768° NNW | 2026-07-07 19:16:25.669Z | 14.531° NNE | 35.231° | 2026-07-07 19:22:25.669Z | 97.486° ESE |
| 10 mins | 2026-07-07 21:01:25.669Z | 295.128° NW | 2026-07-07 21:05:25.669Z | 234.192° WSW | 39.571° | 2026-07-07 21:11:25.669Z | 150.78° SSE |
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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