OrbitNight

NORAD 7218

OPS 8579 (DMSP 5B F5)

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

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From your location

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Its orbit in 3D

Goes round Earth once every 101 minutes, on an orbit tilted 99.0° from the equator, between 783 and 856 km up. Earth is drawn to scale.

Drag to turn · pinch to zoom · it moves live

About OPS 8579 (DMSP 5B F5)

OPS 8579 (DMSP 5B F5) is a satellite from the United States, launched on Mar 16, 1974 from Air Force Western Test Range.

It circles Earth every 101 minutes (14.3 times a day), between 745 and 824 km up, on an orbit tilted 99.0° to the equator, so its path covers latitudes up to 81° north and south.

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

DMSP 5B/F5 · Meteorological satellites

Names and facts: Wikidata (CC0).

Orbit height over the past year

Over the last 11 days its lowest point went from 745 km to 745 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)
740760780800820

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