Science
DMSP 5D-3 F16 (USA 172)
Military Weather · US Air Force
Right now
LiveIt moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.
- Over
- —
- Altitude
- —
- Speed
- —
The US military's weather eyes in orbit. DMSP F16 scans cloud cover, precipitation, and sea ice twice daily for the Air Force and Navy. Its data feeds directly into military operational planning — every strike mission, ship movement, and troop deployment is briefed with DMSP weather data.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 524–530 mi (844–853 km)
- Inclination
- 99.0°
- One orbit
- 101.7 minutes14.2 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 28054
- Int’l designator
- 2003-048A
- Launched
- 2003
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
More science
- DMSP 5D-3 F17 (USA 191)Military Weather
- DMSP 5D-3 F18 (USA 210)Military Weather
- DONGPO 01Chinese Commercial Earth Observation Satellite
- DONGPO 07Chinese Commercial Earth Observation Satellite
- DONGPO 08Chinese Commercial Earth Observation Satellite
- DONGPO 09Chinese Commercial Earth Observation Satellite