OrbitNight

NORAD 6153

OAO 3 (COPERNICUS)

In orbit
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Computing position…
Blue circle: where it is above the horizon now

Time

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From your location

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Its orbit in 3D

Goes round Earth once every 99 minutes, on an orbit tilted 35.0° from the equator, between 730 and 735 km up. Earth is drawn to scale.

Drag to turn · pinch to zoom · it moves live

About OAO 3 (COPERNICUS)

OAO 3 (COPERNICUS) is a satellite from the United States, launched on Aug 21, 1972 from Air Force Eastern Test Range.

It circles Earth every 99 minutes (14.6 times a day), between 688 and 698 km up, on an orbit tilted 35.0° to the equator, so its path covers latitudes up to 35° north and south.

The map shows where it is right now; the pass list tells you when it next comes over your location.

NASA space observatory launched in 1972

Built by
Grumman
Mass
2,204 kg

Wikipedia article ↗ · Names and facts: Wikidata (CC0).

Orbit height over the past year

Over the last 11 days its lowest point went from 689 km to 688 km. Sudden rises are engine burns that lift the orbit; slow declines are drag from the thin upper atmosphere.

Lowest point (perigee)Highest point (apogee)
688690692694696698

From Space-Track element sets, one point a day.