Geostationary
USA 149 (DSP 20)
Missile Warning (Legacy) · US Space Force
Right now
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A Defense Support Program missile warning satellite — the predecessor system to SBIRS that has served the US since the 1970s. DSP satellites use scanning infrared sensors to detect missile launches from their heat signatures. DSP-20 has watched over potential adversary launch sites for decades, providing the strategic warning capability that underpins US nuclear deterrence. The quiet sentinel that has made a nuclear surprise attack on America impossible for 50 years.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Geostationaryappears to hang motionless over one spot on the equator
- Altitude
- 22,460–22,469 mi (36,145–36,161 km)
- Inclination
- 13.3°
- One orbit
- 24.2 hoursabout one orbit a day
- NORAD ID
- 26356
- Int’l designator
- 2000-024A
- Launched
- 2000
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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