Geostationary
SBIRS GEO-2 (USA 241)
Missile Warning · US Space Force
Right now
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The second SBIRS satellite, completing the initial missile warning coverage needed for global surveillance. SBIRS GEO-2 scans Earth's surface looking for the infrared flash of rocket motor ignition — detectable from 22,200 miles with certainty within a fraction of a second of launch. It also detects covert nuclear tests, large conventional explosions, and has been used to study wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and even lightning storms as a byproduct of its extreme sensitivity.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Geostationaryappears to hang motionless over one spot on the equator
- Altitude
- 22,235–22,248 mi (35,784–35,805 km)
- Inclination
- 4.7°
- One orbit
- 23.9 hoursabout one orbit a day
- NORAD ID
- 39120
- Int’l designator
- 2013-011A
- Launched
- 2013
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
More geostationary
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- SBIRS GEO-6 (USA 336)Missile Warning
- SES-1North American Cable Distribution
- SES-10Latin American Communications (Historic Reused Rocket Launch)