Launch Date
May 31, 1967
Launch Site
AFWTR
Launch Pad
SLC2W
Launch Vehicle
Thor SLV-2 Agena D
NORAD ID
02872
International Designator
1967-053F
Epoch
Sun, 19 Jul 2026 16:13:03 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
69.97°
Right Ascension
290.87°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
62.76°
Period
102.89 min
Mean Motion
14.00 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Name
SURCAL 159
Alternative Name
Calsphere III
Type
Status
Owner
Naval Research Laboratory
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 02872U 67053F 26200.67573308 .00000024 00000+0 53404-4 0 9994
2 02872 69.9749 290.8691 0004390 62.7588 297.3966 13.99609354 14750
Source: Celestrak
Apologies, there is no summary for this satellite yet. I am working to generate these for every object in the catalog, but it is going to take time.
Length
0.4
Diameter
0.4
Span
0.4
Dry Mass
3
Launch Mass
3
Shape
Sphere
Radar Cross Section
0.321
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
NRL PL159
Purpose
Radar calibration
Mission
Radar calibration
Manufacturer
Naval Research Laboratory
Life Expectancy
Passive
Bus
NRL 14
Configuration
Sphere
Motor
None
Equipment
None
Power System
None
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
SpaceX deploys 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral on the Starlink 6-100 mission. Falcon 9 lifted off at 6:31 p.m. EST continuing SpaceX's dominant satellite internet market position.
Starship launch site construction progresses at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. Elon Musk trolls Ryanair after budget airline refuses to install Starlink on its fleet.
On December 15, 1970, a battered Soviet probe accomplished something no spacecraft had done before - it survived landing on another world and lived to tell about it.
Missile strike damages SES teleport facility in Israel amid military operations. Anduril acquires ExoAnalytic's 130-person space tracking team, integrating satellite/missile surveillance into defense portfolio.
SpaceX edges closer to increased Starship launch approvals, secures lunar rover delivery, eyes potential military collaboration, and continues rapid satellite deployment.
Starship transport barge identified for shipping components from Starbase to Kennedy Space Center. Starlink's 2025 report shows 4.6M new customers and expansion to 35 new regions.
Russia's Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system was purpose-built to jam Starlink. It costs around $1.5 million per unit, covers just 20 square kilometers, and can only target one satellite at a time. Ukraine has been finding and destroying them within days of deployment.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission reaffirms its decision to deny SpaceX's Starlink unit $885.5 million in rural broadband subsidies, impacting the company's plans for expanding internet access.
