Space Brief 17 Aug 2025
Today's space news features major US Space Force satellite launches, regulatory changes supporting private space initiatives, and updates on SpaceX's Starship advances.
NOAA 16 DEB (41299)
COSPAR: 2000-055HB | Alt Name: deb NOAA 16
Image
Additional Sources
Launch Details
Launch Date
September 21, 2000
Launch Site
AFWTR
Launch Pad
SLC4W
Launch Vehicle
Titan II SLV
Orbital Elements
NORAD ID
41299
International Designator
2000-055HB
Epoch
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 22:38:56 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
98.68°
Right Ascension
234.94°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
53.24°
Period
101.29 min
Mean Motion
14.22 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Polar Plot
3D Visualization
Basic Satellite Info
Name
NOAA 16 DEB
Alternative Name
deb NOAA 16
Type
Debris
Status
Space Junk
Owner
NOAA
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Latest TLEs
1 41299U 00055HB 26184.94371368 .00003043 00000-0 13902-2 0 9994
2 41299 98.6821 234.9396 0046126 53.2363 307.3036 14.21679531541683
Source: Celestrak
Summary
Space debris, also known as space junk, encompasses all non-functional objects orbiting Earth such as defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from collisions or disintegrations. Over time, this debris can accumulate and create an increasingly hazardous environment in orbit. Even tiny fragments, traveling at extremely high velocities, can inflict significant damage on operational satellites and spacecraft. If left unmanaged, the density of debris raises the risk of catastrophic collisions and further fragmentation, compounding the problem and threatening the safety and sustainability of space activities.
Physical Characteristics
Length
0
Diameter
0
Span
0
Dry Mass
0
Launch Mass
0
Shape
N/A
Radar Cross Section
0.0022
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Technical Details
Payload
Unknown
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
Unknown
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Unknown
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Map
Next Pass
Azimuth Elevation Time (Local)
Start Azimuth
Max Elevation
Stop Azimuth
Time Until
Pass Duration
Satellite Articles
View All Posts »Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
Space Brief 28 Aug 2024
A Falcon 9 booster fails to land, increasing GPS and PNT significance for national security, and NASA's SLS mobile launch platform costs soar.
X Report 31 Dec 2025
Vandenberg Space Force Base opens a new launch site that may accommodate SpaceX's Starship. Meanwhile, Starlink continues to expand its service capabilities.
X Report 14 Jun 2025
SpaceX achieves significant milestones with the launch of new Starlink satellites and the production of its 10 millionth Starlink kit amidst ongoing challenges with space station delays.
Firefly Alpha Returns to Flight After Anomaly | KeepTrack Space Brief
Firefly Aerospace launches return-to-flight Firefly Alpha on March 10 after Flight 6 anomaly. SpaceX also launches EchoStar 25 GEO satellite and multiple Starlink batches this week.
X Report 3 Jan 2025
SpaceX's pivotal role in setting a new global launch record and the upcoming launch of the Thuraya 4-NGS satellite are spotlighted today.
Space Brief 6 Dec 2024
Today's brief covers various military applications of climate-monitoring satellites, new defense strategies against unmanned threats, and the potential impacts of geopolitical tensions on orbit.
Sally Ride and the Twenty Years It Took America to Catch Up
At 7:33 on the morning of 18 June 1983, a 32-year-old astrophysicist named Sally Ride rode Challenger off Pad 39A and became the first American woman in space. She got there two decades after the Soviets, and only after months of being asked whether spaceflight would damage her reproductive organs and whether she planned to cry.