LANDSAT 3

About This Satellite

Landsat 3 launched on March 5, 1978, extending the early Landsat record while testing changes to both imaging systems. It was placed in standby in March 1983 and decommissioned on September 7 that year. This page describes the historical spacecraft, not an active Earth-imaging service.

A thermal channel that did not deliver a long record

Its MSS added a thermal infrared channel, but that channel failed shortly after launch. A specification listing five MSS bands therefore does not imply five complete, equally usable data records. Instrument capability at launch and the observations actually acquired must be considered separately.

Check the sensor before interpreting an image

A Landsat 3 label alone does not tell you whether a scene came from RBV or MSS. Their spectral coverage and spatial detail differ. Read the product metadata before treating a monochrome image as a thermal map or combining it with a multispectral series.

Mission reference: USGS: Landsat 3 payload changes and mission history. Editorial review: 2026-09-12.

Two RBV cameras provided a different kind of detail

The redesigned RBV used two side-by-side panchromatic cameras with 40 m ground resolution. It traded the earlier camera arrangement for finer spatial detail in a broad band. Finer spatial detail is not the same as having more spectral bands for identifying materials.

Reference: USGS: Landsat 3 RBV redesign.

Use the archive as the record of what survived

Collection 2 organises the early MSS observations as a dedicated Level-1 dataset. Select that dataset when looking for scanner scenes, rather than assuming every instrument listed for the mission is included in a single download. Acquisition metadata and quality information are essential for deciding whether a scene is useful.

Reference: USGS: selecting Landsat Collection 2 Level-1 datasets.

Reading this orbital snapshot

Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-05. Estimated altitude ranges from 894 km at perigee to 914 km at apogee, a difference of 20 km. The orbital period is about 103.1 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00136 indicates a nearly circular path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 1.00 times apogee speed. These are mean-element estimates, not instantaneous measurements. Distance per orbit uses an ellipse approximation.

Saved build snapshot. If a valid TLE is retrieved, this explanation and the orbit panel update together. Otherwise this dated snapshot is retained.

Ground track is not sensor coverage

An inclination of 99.08 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 80.9 degrees north and south. This is a retrograde orbit, moving against the direction of Earth rotation. The plotted line marks the point beneath the object. It does not represent camera coverage, radio reception, or a guaranteed visible pass.

Accuracy and missing information

The introductory record describes the build snapshot. The orbital snapshot explanation and orbit panel share any successfully retrieved TLE; check the displayed epoch. Reentered objects retain historical data only. Mission history is not rewritten by TLE updates. TLE/SGP4 positions are predictions and can change after maneuvers or updated observations. The 14-day stale-data cutoff is a display safeguard, not an accuracy guarantee. Local passes are geometric predictions, not a visibility forecast. No verified operator or mission status means unknown, not active. Do not use this catalog for collision avoidance or operational flight decisions.

Catalog sources: CelesTrak SATCAT: NORAD 10702 · GCAT: S10702 (source update 2026 Sep 4 2345:57). Supplementary metadata: SatNOGS DB, retrieved 2026-09-05T12:57:25.375Z. Page assembled 2026-09-15. GCAT phase codes describe trajectory phases, not mission health.

Learn more: TLE data · Perigee and apogee · Ground tracks · JOT (Jewawud Live Orbital Map)

Satellite Details