Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO)

About This Satellite

Chandra is an observatory designed to study the universe in X-rays. These observations reveal high-energy environments that look different from familiar visible-light photographs, including hot gas and regions around compact objects.

Mission context

An observatory can remain bound to Earth without following a nearly circular low orbit. Chandra is a useful contrast to Hubble: inspect its perigee, apogee, and eccentricity together instead of interpreting a single altitude as the whole orbit.

What to notice in this record

The calculation below uses the circumference of an ellipse, not that of a circle with the same semi-major axis. The speed is also not constant: it is higher at perigee and lower at apogee. These are deductions from the dated orbital elements, not measurements of the telescope made by this website.

Mission reference: NASA: Chandra X-ray Observatory. Editorial review: 2026-09-05.

Reading this orbital snapshot

Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-08. Estimated altitude ranges from 12,127 km at perigee to 136,696 km at apogee, a difference of 124,569 km. The orbital period is about 3808.8 minutes. Eccentricity 0.77095 shows why a single altitude cannot describe the whole path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 7.73 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 57.35 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 57.4 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.

Is it fixed above one longitude?

The snapshot period is 3808.8 minutes. A sidereal day is about 1,436.07 minutes. Height alone does not establish a geostationary orbit: the period must match Earth rotation and the path must be circular and equatorial. This catalog uses a five-minute period tolerance for near-geosynchronous labels; near-geostationary additionally requires inclination at most 1 degree and eccentricity at most 0.01. These are browsing categories, not evidence of station-keeping or a fixed longitude.

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 25867 · GCAT: S25867 (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