TACSAT 4

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TACSAT 4 is classified as:

Military

NORAD ID: 37818

Int'l Code: 2011-052A

Perigee: 501.8 km

Apogee: 12,268.1 km

Inclination: 63.1 °

Period: 239.0 minutes

Semi major axis: 12755 km

RCS: 5.2451 m² (large)

Launch date: September 27, 2011
Source: United States (US)
Launch site: Kodiak Island, Alaska (KODAK)

TACSAT 4 is a U.S. Navy satellite flying in a unique, gravitationally-stable orbit ranging from 400 miles (644 km) high to more than 7,300 miles (11,748 km) in altitude. From that orbit, the craft's UHF communications package will connect military units via radio. The satellite was developed under the auspices of the military's Operationally Responsive Space office, which was chartered to investigate and fly less costly niche missions designed to serve tactical needs. TacSat 4 flies three times closer to Earth than traditional military communications satellites, meaning users on the ground have nine times the signal strength compared to legacy systems in higher orbits.

1 37818U 11052A   20090.77631424 +.00000042 +00000-0 +49534-4 0  9996
2 37818 063.0816 187.8050 4612088 224.2549 331.8641 06.02604828187175

Source of the keplerian elements: AFSPC