Science
SPAWAR-CAL-R
Naval Calibration Payload · US Navy SPAWAR
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
- —
SPAWAR-CAL-R, a US Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command calibration payload launched in 2018 as part of a rideshare mission. Calibration satellites like this one provide known, precisely characterized radar or optical targets in orbit that ground-based tracking systems use to verify and fine-tune their own measurement accuracy — the space-based equivalent of a reference ruler.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 335–352 mi (538–567 km)
- Inclination
- 97.4°
- One orbit
- 95.6 minutes15.1 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 43776
- Int’l designator
- 2018-099U
- Launched
- 2018
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.