Key statistics
Satellite TOPEX/POSEIDON at a glance.
Uptime
12132
Days in orbit
Revolutions
≈ 12.8
Per day
Orbit
LEO
Low Earth Orbit
Inclination
66.0
Latest
Satellite identification and parameters
Extended collection of information and parameters for TOPEX/POSEIDON.
Object identification
Identified? True
Debris? False
Object name: TOPEX/POSEIDON
International designator: 1992-052A
Object number (NORAD): 22076
Object ID (CCSDS): 22076
Country: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (US)
Current information (Y/N): Y
RCS size: LARGE
Orbital parameters
Period: 112.405 minutes
Inclination: 66.0401 deg
SMA: 7715.242 km
Apoapsis: 1343.19 km
Periapsis: 1331.024 km
RAAN: 254.7422 deg
Eccentricy: 0.00078846
Argument of periapsis: 271.2556 deg
Mean anomaly: 154.0043 deg
Mean motion: 12.81086497 rev/day
Mean motion (dot): -0.00000026 rev/day2
B* drag term: 0.00015082155 1/REarth
Two-line elements (TLE)
Creation date: Oct. 28, 2025, 2:18 a.m.
Reference frame: TEME
Reference center: EARTH
Epoch: Oct. 27, 2025, 10 p.m. UTC
TLE line 0: 0 TOPEX/POSEIDON
TLE line 1: 1 22076U 92052A 25300.91675142 -.00000026 00000-0 15082-3 0 9998
TLE line 2: 2 22076 66.0401 254.7422 0007885 271.2556 154.0043 12.81086497553734
Live tracking on map
Real-time ground track for satellite TOPEX/POSEIDON.
In-orbit conjunctions
There are no conjunctions computed for TOPEX/POSEIDON, at the moment. Check back to stay up to date, as we update our databases every day.
Go to all conjunctionsAssociated space launch
The TOPEX/POSEIDON satellite was launched on 10 August 1992 with the objective of "observing and understanding the ocean circulation". A joint project between NASA, the U.S. space agency, and CNES, the French space agency, it carries two radar altimeters and precise orbit determination systems, including the DORIS system. KITSAT-1 (Korean Institute of Technology Satellite) was a collaborative research mission, encompassing the installation of a groundstation in South Korea, participation of Korean engineers in the UoSAT-5 mission, technology transfer and training of students on the MSc courses at Surrey, and the involvement in a engineering and flight microsatellites. The S80/T satellite was built for CNES by Matra Marconi Space using the Surrey Satellite Technology Microbus (Uosat) bus.
TOPEX/POSEIDON was lifted into orbit during the mission ‘Ariane 42P | Topex-Poseidon, Kitsat 1 & S80/T’, on board a Ariane 42P space rocket.
The launch took place on Aug. 10, 1992, 11:08 p.m. from Ariane Launch Area 2.
For more information about the launch, click the button.
Ariane 42P | Topex-Poseidon, Kitsat 1 & S80/T
Agency: N/A
Status: Launch Successful
Launch date: Aug. 10, 1992, 11:08 p.m. UTC
Rocket: Ariane 42P
Launch pad: Ariane Launch Area 2
Location: Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
...
Latest news about this satellite
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