Transit 5 Satellite Bus

Data current as of 2026-07-20.

The Transit 5 bus accounts for 38 cataloged objects, of which 35 are in orbit and 0 are active. 3 have reentered. Most are built by APL. The largest operator on this bus is NAVAIR. The first launched in 1962, the most recent in 1988.

35
In orbit
0
Active
38
Total launched
3
Reentered

Transit 5 launched per year

2 4 6 1962: 1 launched, 1 since reentered 1963: 5 launched, 1 since reentered 1964: 5 objects launched 1965: 5 launched, 1 since reentered 1966: 4 objects launched 1967: 3 objects launched 1968: 1 object launched 1969: 0 objects launched 1970: 1 object launched 1971: 0 objects launched 1972: 0 objects launched 1973: 1 object launched 1974: 0 objects launched 1975: 0 objects launched 1976: 1 object launched 1977: 1 object launched 1978: 0 objects launched 1979: 0 objects launched 1980: 0 objects launched 1981: 0 objects launched 1982: 0 objects launched 1983: 1 object launched 1984: 0 objects launched 1985: 2 objects launched 1986: 1 object launched 1987: 2 objects launched 1988: 4 objects launched 1962 1967 1972 1977 1982 1987
Still in orbit Since reentered Click a year to list its satellites.

Typical specifications

Most common values across cataloged Transit 5 satellites.

Manufacturer APL
Purpose Navigation
Launch mass 54 kg
Dry mass 54 kg
Length 0.3 m
Diameter 0.5 m
Span 30 m
Shape Oct Cyl + 4 Pan + Ant
Power 4 deployable fixed solar arrays, batteries
Propulsion ?
Design life +11 years (achieved)
Equipment ?
Typical orbit 107 min period, 90° inclination

Top operators

NAVAIR 17 BUWEPS 16 STP/APL 3 NASA 2

Top countries

US 38

Transit 5 satellites

Track any of them live in KeepTrack.

Name NORAD COSPAR Owner Launched Orbit Status Track
OSCAR 31 NNS 30310-60 19420 1988-074B NAVAIR Aug 25, 1988 107 min, 90.0° Inactive
OSCAR 25 NNS 30250-25 19419 1988-074A NAVAIR Aug 25, 1988 107 min, 90.0° Inactive
OSCAR 32 NNS 30320-48 19071 1988-033B NAVAIR Apr 26, 1988 108 min, 90.3° Inactive
OSCAR 23 NNS 30230-12 19070 1988-033A NAVAIR Apr 26, 1988 108 min, 90.3° Inactive
OSCAR 29 NNS 30290-52 18362 1987-080B NAVAIR Sep 16, 1987 107 min, 90.4° Inactive
OSCAR 27 NNS 30270-07 18361 1987-080A NAVAIR Sep 16, 1987 107 min, 90.4° Inactive
POLAR BEAR P87-1 17070 1986-088A STP/APL Nov 14, 1986 105 min, 89.6° Inactive
OSCAR 24 NNS 30300-20 15936 1985-066B NAVAIR Aug 3, 1985 108 min, 90.2° Inactive
OSCAR 30 NNS 30240-36 15935 1985-066A NAVAIR Aug 3, 1985 108 min, 90.2° Inactive
HILAT P83-1 14154 1983-063A STP/APL Jun 27, 1983 100 min, 82.0° Inactive
TRANSAT Transat 10457 1977-106A NAVAIR Oct 28, 1977 107 min, 89.6° Inactive
P 76-5 P76-5 08860 1976-047A STP/APL May 22, 1976 105 min, 99.9° Inactive
NNSS 20 (TRANSIT 20) NNS 30200-16 06909 1973-081A NAVAIR Oct 30, 1973 105 min, 89.9° Inactive
NNSS 19 (TRANSIT 19) NNS 30190-28 04507 1970-067A NAVAIR Aug 27, 1970 107 min, 90.0° Inactive
OPS 7034 (TRANSIT 18) NNS 30180 03133 1968-012A NAVAIR Mar 2, 1968 107 min, 90.0° Inactive
OPS 4947 (TRANSIT 17) NNS 30140-56 02965 1967-092A NAVAIR Sep 25, 1967 106 min, 89.3° Inactive
OPS 7218 (TRANSIT 16) NNS 30130-40 02807 1967-048A NAVAIR May 18, 1967 107 min, 89.7° Inactive
OPS 0100 (TRANSIT 15) NNS 30120 02754 1967-034A NAVAIR Apr 14, 1967 106 min, 90.2° Inactive
OPS 2366 (TRANSIT 14) NNS 30100 02401 1966-076A NAVAIR Aug 18, 1966 106 min, 88.8° Inactive
OPS 0082 (TRANSIT 13) NNS 30090 02176 1966-041A NAVAIR May 19, 1966 103 min, 90.2° Inactive
OPS 1117 (TRANSIT 12) NNS 30080 02119 1966-024A BUWEPS Mar 26, 1966 105 min, 89.6° Inactive
OPS 1593 (TRANSIT 11) NNS 30070 01952 1966-005A BUWEPS Jan 28, 1966 105 min, 90.1° Inactive
OPS 1509 (TRANSIT 10) NNS 30060 01864 1965-109A BUWEPS Dec 22, 1965 104 min, 89.1° Inactive
OPS 8464 (TRANSIT 5B-7) NNS 30050 01514 1965-065F BUWEPS Aug 13, 1965 108 min, 90.0° Inactive
OPS 8480 (TRANSIT 5B-6) NNS 30040 01420 1965-048A BUWEPS Jun 24, 1965 107 min, 89.9° Inactive
EXPLORER 27 Explorer 27 01328 1965-032A GSFC Apr 29, 1965 108 min, 41.2° Inactive
OPS 7087 NNS 30030 01303 1965-017A BUWEPS Mar 11, 1965 89 min, 90.0° Reentered
OPS 6582 (TRANSIT 5B-5) NNS 30020 00965 1964-083D BUWEPS Dec 13, 1964 106 min, 90.1° Inactive
OPS 6582 (TRANSIT 5E-5) Transit VE-5 00959 1964-083C BUWEPS Dec 13, 1964 106 min, 90.0° Inactive
EXPLORER 22 Explorer 22 00899 1964-064A GSFC Oct 10, 1964 104 min, 79.7° Inactive
OPS 5798 (TRANSIT 5B-4) NNS 30010 00897 1964-063B BUWEPS Oct 6, 1964 106 min, 90.2° Inactive
OPS 4412 (TRANSIT 9) Transit VC 00801 1964-026A BUWEPS Jun 4, 1964 102 min, 90.5° Inactive
TRANSIT 5E-3 Transit VE-3 00705 1963-049C BUWEPS Dec 5, 1963 107 min, 89.9° Inactive
TRANSIT 5B-2 Transit VBN-2 00704 1963-049B BUWEPS Dec 5, 1963 107 min, 89.9° Inactive
RADIATION SAT (5E-1) Transit VE-1 00671 1963-038C BUWEPS Sep 28, 1963 107 min, 90.0° Inactive
TRANSIT 5B-1 Transit VBN-1 00670 1963-038B BUWEPS Sep 28, 1963 107 min, 90.0° Inactive
TRANSIT 5A-3 Transit VA-3 00594 1963-022A BUWEPS Jun 16, 1963 88 min, 89.8° Reentered
TRANSIT 5A Transit VA-1 00509 1962-071A BUWEPS Dec 19, 1962 88 min, 90.6° Reentered

Frequently asked questions

How many Transit 5 satellites are there?

The catalog lists 38 objects built on the Transit 5 bus. 35 are in orbit and 3 have reentered.

How many Transit 5 satellites are in orbit?

35 Transit 5 objects are currently in orbit, of which 0 carry an active status.

Who builds the Transit 5 bus?

The Transit 5 bus is most commonly built by APL.

When did the first Transit 5 satellite launch?

The first cataloged Transit 5 satellite launched in 1962, and the most recent in 1988.

Satellite data compiled by KeepTrack from CelesTrak, Space-Track, and GCAT, provided under CC BY-NC 4.0.