SYNCOM 1, 553
Orbit data source: Space-Track
SYNCOM 1, 553 is a payload satellite owned by GSFC (US) that was launched on Thu, 14 Feb 1963 UTC via a THOR DELTA B launch vehicle from the Air Force Eastern Test Range (AFETR). 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.
Focus sentinelFocus sentinel
Embed this page
Focus sentinelFocus sentinel
553 intel report (Beta)
Focus sentinelFocus sentinel
Create New Watchlist
Focus sentinelFocus sentinel
Edit Public Description
Identifier
Orbit
Country
USRelated business
Manufacturer
Hughes
Mission
Non-operational spacecraft
Bus & Motor
HS-301, TE-M-375
Mass
68 kg wet, ~27 kg dry
Launch date (UTC)
Launch vehicle
Launch site
Object type
Shape & HBR
Unknown
Radar Cross Section
RCS unknown
Expand to show TLE details & historyLast TLE update: 1 week ago
TLE from 1 week ago
0 SYNCOM 1
1 00553U 63004A 25304.41831010 -.00000120 00000-0 00000-0 0 9992
2 00553 27.1870 277.4780 0795626 194.4968 163.0537 1.16484452 33399Epoch: 2025-10-31T10:02Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2025-10-31T10:02:21.992Z)
Latitude
-0.00001°
Longitude
86.87369°
Altitude
34,690.036 km
Speed
2.994 km/s
True Right ascension
18h 29m 42s
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
01:10:43
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
34,813.945 km
Perigee altitude
28,742.321 km
Semi-major axis
38,156.27 km
Eccentricity
0.07956
Inclination
27.187°
RAAN
277.478°
Arg. of periapsis
194.4968°
True anomaly
165.47888°
Mean anomaly
163.0537°
Eccentric anomaly
164.28817°
Mean motion
0.2912 °/min
Orbital period
1,236.26 mins
BSTAR
0
Loading maneuver chart data...
Computing Atmospheric mass density...
Loading historical data...
Loading historical data...
Loading historical data...
Loading historical data...
Loading historical data...
Loading historical data...
Loading historical data...
Other satellites on launch #4 in the year 1963 (1963-02-14 UTC)
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.SYNCOM 1 Visibility forecast
Loading observer location...
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 522 mins | 2025-11-08 06:25:38.261Z | 278.851° WNW | 2025-11-08 11:15:38.261Z | 272.653° WNW | 21.355° | 2025-11-08 15:07:38.261Z | 236.149° WSW |
| 556 mins | 2025-11-08 19:44:38.261Z | 207.258° SW | 2025-11-09 05:00:38.261Z | 247.324° WSW | 40.538° | 2025-11-09 05:00:38.261Z | 247.324° WSW |
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 |
|---|
CAUTION: Conjunctions in this section are generated from low-fidelity TLE screenings
Authenticating...
Click to sort rows by Secondary header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Secondary name header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Country header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Owner header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Obj. Type header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Miss dist. header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Rel. speed header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by Apr. angle header in ascending order | Click to sort rows by TCA header in ascending order |
|---|