NAVSTAR 15 (USA 42)
Country: United States of America
Live Position
Ground Track · Last 90 Minutes
Upcoming Passes · Over Your Location
About This Satellite
NAVSTAR 15 (USA 42) is listed as a payload under NORAD ID 20185 with international designator 1989-064A. According to the GCAT master catalog, it was built by RWISB, on the GPS II platform, with a catalog mass of 776 kg, with a shape described as Box + 2 Pan. It is associated with United States of America. In the historical build snapshot (TLE epoch 2026-08-31), its MEO orbit had an apogee of about 21,572 km and a perigee near 21,512 km, with an inclination of 55.03° and a period of roughly 773.8 minutes; at apogee its speed was about 3.77 km/s. It was launched on 1989-08-18. The available TLE has epoch 2026-08-31; it may be too old for a reliable live-position prediction.
What this identity tells us
The payload classification comes from GCAT record S20185. A catalog identifier follows a tracked physical object, not necessarily an active service. Manufacturer and owner entries describe catalog associations; ownership is not interchangeable with present-day operation. A separately sourced mission history has not yet been verified for this record.
Reading this orbital snapshot
Based on TLE epoch: 2026-08-31. Estimated altitude ranges from 21,512 km at perigee to 21,572 km at apogee, a difference of 60 km. The orbital period is about 773.8 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00108 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 55.03 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 55.0 degrees north and south. This is a prograde orbit, moving in the same general direction as 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 20185 · GCAT: S20185 (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)