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LAGEOS 1 — Live Satellite Tracking (NORAD 8820)
LAGEOS 1 is a NASA laser-ranging satellite: a passive sphere covered in reflectors. The tracking catalog lists it as LAGEOS 1 (NORAD catalog number 8820); 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 1976, launched on the 39th orbital launch of that year (COSPAR designation 1976-039A).
Moving at about 5.72 km/s, LAGEOS 1 operates in medium Earth orbit at roughly 5,846–5,955 km altitude, taking about 3.8 hours per revolution (6.39 orbits a day). The orbit is essentially circular (eccentricity 0.0045). Inclined 109.8° — nearly pole-to-pole — its ground track sweeps essentially every latitude. Its orbital plane crosses the equator northbound at right ascension 222.5°. Earth's equatorial bulge drifts that plane eastward about 0.34° per day.
Orbital elements
| Orbit regime | medium Earth orbit (MEO) |
|---|---|
| Perigee × apogee altitude | ~5,846 km × 5,955 km |
| Inclination | 109.83° |
| Orbital period | 225.5 min (6.39 rev/day) |
| Eccentricity | 0.00446 |
| Element set epoch | 2026-10-21 |
| COSPAR designation | 1976-039A |
| NORAD catalog number | 8820 |
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
LAGEOS 1 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 LAGEOS 1 from the ground?
Not with the naked eye. At its altitude LAGEOS 1 is far beyond unaided visibility — following satellites this high takes a telescope and good timing. You can still track it precisely in the live 3D view above, or check the “When can I see it?” panel in the live view.
Related satellites
Nearest catalog neighbors of LAGEOS 1 in the Other Active Satellites group — usually craft from the same or adjacent launches:
- STARLETTE (NORAD 7646)
- OSCAR 7 (AO-7) (NORAD 7530)
- RIGIDSPHERE 2 (LCS 4) (NORAD 5398)
- PHASE 3B (AO-10) (NORAD 14129)
- OPS 5712 (P/L 153) (NORAD 2874)
- SURCAL 159 (NORAD 2872)
Browse the Other Active Satellites directory or the full satellite directory.
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