LeoLabs and the Business of Watching Everything
A startup built on Cold War-era radar science now tracks 25,000 objects in orbit - and the Pentagon can't get enough of it. But can its radars really compete with the Space Surveillance Network?
Launch Date
August 4, 1984
Launch Site
FRGUI
Launch Pad
ELA1
Launch Vehicle
Ariane 3
NORAD ID
15159
International Designator
1984-081B
Epoch
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 20:24:22 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
12.74°
Right Ascension
333.85°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
56.27°
Period
1463.49 min
Mean Motion
0.98 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
TELECOM 1A
Alternative Name
Telecom 1A
Type
Status
Owner
FTEL
Country
France
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 15159U 84081B 26184.85026336 -.00000056 00000-0 00000-0 0 9998
2 15159 12.7408 333.8508 0035027 56.2712 119.1985 0.98394666118774
Source: Celestrak
Length
1.9
Diameter
1.4
Span
16
Dry Mass
529
Launch Mass
669
Shape
Box + 2 Pan
Radar Cross Section
10.1506
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Telecom 1A
Purpose
Communication
Mission
Communication
Manufacturer
MATT
Life Expectancy
7 years
Bus
ECS
Configuration
ECS-Bus
Motor
Mage 2
Equipment
6 (+3) Ku-band transponder, 4 (+2) C-band transponder, 2 X-band transponder
Power System
2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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