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NuSTAR — Live Satellite Tracking (NORAD 38358)
NuSTAR is a NASA telescope that images the sky in high-energy X-rays. The tracking catalog lists it as NUSTAR (NORAD catalog number 38358); follow it live on the WatchSat interactive 3D globe above. Its position is propagated in real time from the latest CelesTrak two-line element set using the SGP4/SDP4 orbital model — the same math professional trackers run. It has been on orbit since 2012, launched on the 31st orbital launch of that year (COSPAR designation 2012-031A).
Moving at about 7.60 km/s, NUSTAR flies in low Earth orbit at an altitude of roughly 538 × 549 km, completing one revolution every 95.4 minutes — about 15.1 trips around Earth per day. The orbit is essentially circular (eccentricity 0.0008). Its near-equatorial 6.0° inclination keeps it above the tropics at all times. Its orbital plane crosses the equator northbound at right ascension 167.1°. Earth's equatorial bulge drifts that plane westward about 7.47° per day.
Orbital elements
| Orbit regime | low Earth orbit (LEO) |
|---|---|
| Perigee × apogee altitude | ~538 km × 549 km |
| Inclination | 6.03° |
| Orbital period | 95.4 min (15.10 rev/day) |
| Eccentricity | 0.00081 |
| Element set epoch | 2026-10-21 |
| COSPAR designation | 2012-031A |
| NORAD catalog number | 38358 |
This page's orbital elements come from the CelesTrak catalog of 2026-10-23. The live 3D view above fetches its own current CelesTrak data when the page opens, through an edge cache that refreshes roughly every 30 minutes.
About the Other Active Satellites group
NUSTAR is one of 4,802 active satellites in WatchSat's general catalog — the broad population of Earth-observation, communications, science, amateur-radio and technology spacecraft outside the giant broadband constellations. Browse all other active satellites live in 3D.
Can you see NUSTAR from the ground?
Sometimes. Like most low-Earth-orbit spacecraft, NUSTAR is visible only around dawn and dusk, when your sky is dark but the satellite is still sunlit — and whether you can spot it depends on its size and reflectivity. See the “When can I see it?” panel in the live view for when it is above your horizon and sunlit.
Related satellites
Nearest catalog neighbors of NUSTAR in the Other Active Satellites group — usually craft from the same or adjacent launches:
- INTELSAT 19 (IS-19) (NORAD 38356)
- YAOGAN-15 (NORAD 38354)
- ZHONGXING-2A (NORAD 38352)
- NIMIQ 6 (NORAD 38342)
- SDS-4 (NORAD 38339)
- ARIRANG-3 (KOMPSAT-3) (NORAD 38338)
Browse the Other Active Satellites directory or the full satellite directory.
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