OrbitNight

NORAD 6173

TRIAD 1

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

Time

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Speed

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From your location

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Sunlight

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Its orbit in 3D

Goes round Earth once every 99 minutes, on an orbit tilted 90.0° from the equator, between 744 and 828 km up. Earth is drawn to scale.

Drag to turn · pinch to zoom · it moves live

About TRIAD 1

TRIAD 1 is a satellite from the United States, launched on Sep 2, 1972 from Air Force Western Test Range.

It circles Earth every 99 minutes (14.5 times a day), between 683 and 751 km up, on an orbit tilted 90.0° to the equator, so its path covers latitudes up to 90° north and south.

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

TIP 1 · This three-body spacecraft was connected by booms which served as gravity-gradient stabilizers in the radial direction. A momentum wheel was used for stabilization in roll and yaw.

Operated by
United States Navy
Built by
Applied Physics Laboratory
Mass
94 kg

Names and facts: Wikidata (CC0).

Orbit height over the past year

Over the last 11 days its lowest point went from 682 km to 683 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)
680700720740

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