Home › Other Active Satellites › SPHEREX (MIDEX 9)
SPHEREx — Live Satellite Tracking (NORAD 63182)
SPHEREx is a NASA telescope that maps the entire sky in infrared light. The tracking catalog lists it as SPHEREX (MIDEX 9) (NORAD catalog number 63182); 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 is object E of 2025's 47th orbital launch (COSPAR designation 2025-047E). It went up together with 4 other satellites from that launch still in the active catalog. As of this element set it had completed roughly 8,661 revolutions of Earth.
Moving at about 7.54 km/s, SPHEREX (MIDEX 9) flies in low Earth orbit at an altitude of roughly 647 × 662 km, completing one revolution every 97.7 minutes — about 14.7 trips around Earth per day. The orbit is essentially circular (eccentricity 0.0011). Its 98.0° retrograde, near-polar inclination is characteristic of a Sun-synchronous orbit — the type Earth-imaging and weather satellites use to revisit each spot at the same local solar time. Its orbital plane crosses the equator northbound at right ascension 116.8°. Earth's equatorial bulge precesses that plane eastward about 0.98° per day, matching the Sun's apparent motion — which is what holds its lighting constant.
Orbital elements
| Orbit regime | low Earth orbit (LEO) |
|---|---|
| Perigee × apogee altitude | ~647 km × 662 km |
| Inclination | 97.96° |
| Orbital period | 97.7 min (14.74 rev/day) |
| Eccentricity | 0.00110 |
| Element set epoch | 2026-10-21 |
| COSPAR designation | 2025-047E |
| NORAD catalog number | 63182 |
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
SPHEREX (MIDEX 9) 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 SPHEREX (MIDEX 9) from the ground?
Sometimes. Like most low-Earth-orbit spacecraft, SPHEREX (MIDEX 9) 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 SPHEREX (MIDEX 9) in the Other Active Satellites group — usually craft from the same or adjacent launches:
- PUNCH-WFI 2 (SMEX 15C) (NORAD 63181)
- PUNCH-WFI 3 (SMEX 15D) (NORAD 63180)
- PUNCH-WFI 1 (SMEX 15B) (NORAD 63179)
- PUNCH-NFI (SMEX 15A) (NORAD 63178)
- QIANFAN-90 (NORAD 63176)
- QIANFAN-89 (NORAD 63175)
Browse the Other Active Satellites directory or the full satellite directory.
Embed this satellite on your site.
Home · Live satellite map · Satellite directory · Starlink · OneWeb · Navigation satellites · Space stations · Other active satellites · Track the ISS · ISS visible passes · Starlink train · Rocket launches · Aurora forecast · Humans in space · Solar System · Deep Space · Embed widgets · Blog · Guide: spot the ISS · Guide: what is a TLE? · Guide: how many satellites? · Guide: satellite trackers compared · Discovery: Elias 2-24 b · About · FAQ · Data & methodology · Credits · Editorial policy · Accessibility · Contact · Privacy · Terms
© 2026 WatchSat · Not affiliated with any space agency or satellite operator.