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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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: 20 hours ago
TLE from 20 hours ago
0 EXPLORER 16
1 00506U 62070A 25341.23741866 .00000136 00000-0 18205-3 0 9997
2 00506 52.0028 73.5808 0276544 157.8987 203.4132 13.85746414182148Epoch: 2025-12-07T05:41Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2025-12-07T05:41:52.972Z)
Latitude
-0.00003°
Longitude
-88.14362°
Altitude
1,130.956 km
Speed
7.195 km/s
True Right ascension
04h 54m 19s
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
23:28:04
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
1,146.481 km
Perigee altitude
741.503 km
Semi-major axis
7,322.129 km
Eccentricity
0.02765
Inclination
52.0028°
RAAN
73.5808°
Arg. of periapsis
157.8987°
True anomaly
202.19284°
Mean anomaly
203.4132°
Eccentric anomaly
202.79921°
Mean motion
3.46407 °/min
Orbital period
103.92 mins
BSTAR
0.00018205
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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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 mins | 2025-12-08 07:47:18.256Z | 189.291° SSW | 2025-12-08 07:52:18.256Z | 138.196° SSE | 29.441° | 2025-12-08 07:58:18.256Z | 68.538° E |
| 10 mins | 2025-12-08 09:36:18.256Z | 247.313° WSW | 2025-12-08 09:41:18.256Z | 331.281° NNW | 42.423° | 2025-12-08 09:46:18.256Z | 46.661° ENE |
| 9 mins | 2025-12-08 11:26:18.256Z | 293.53° NW | 2025-12-08 11:30:18.256Z | 339.47° N | 25.587° | 2025-12-08 11:35:18.256Z | 43.348° NE |
| 8 mins | 2025-12-08 13:17:18.256Z | 323.213° NNW | 2025-12-08 13:20:18.256Z | 1.558° NNE | 24.125° | 2025-12-08 13:25:18.256Z | 67.089° ENE |
| 9 mins | 2025-12-08 15:06:18.256Z | 315.869° NNW | 2025-12-08 15:10:18.256Z | 35.764° NE | 41.535° | 2025-12-08 15:15:18.256Z | 114.042° SE |
| 7 mins | 2025-12-08 16:55:18.256Z | 277.238° WNW | 2025-12-08 16:58:18.256Z | 232.473° WSW | 24.171° | 2025-12-08 17:02:18.256Z | 177.483° S |
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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