Geostationary
SBIRS GEO-5 (USA 315)
Missile Warning · US Space Force
Right now
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The fifth SBIRS satellite, built to an enhanced design with improved sensitivity and a new missile defense support processor. SBIRS GEO-5 was the first to use a modernized Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) detector array that dramatically improves tracking accuracy for hypersonic glide vehicles — the new class of maneuvering warhead that traditional missile warning systems struggle to track through their unpredictable flight paths.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Geostationaryappears to hang motionless over one spot on the equator
- Altitude
- 22,237–22,247 mi (35,786–35,803 km)
- Inclination
- 5.0°
- One orbit
- 23.9 hoursabout one orbit a day
- NORAD ID
- 48618
- Int’l designator
- 2021-042A
- Launched
- 2021
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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