TIMATION 1
Country: United States of America
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Ground Track · Last 90 Minutes
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About This Satellite
TIMATION 1 launched on May 31, 1967 to demonstrate navigation based on precise time signals from space. Its name combines time and navigation. The experiment used a precision quartz oscillator, not an atomic clock, and helped develop concepts that contributed to the later Global Positioning System.
A receiver compared timing signals rather than sending a ranging reply
The approach used passive, one-way ranging: timing information transmitted by the satellite was compared with a receiver's reference. NRL describes ground stations in southern Texas calibrating the satellite oscillator and orbit. The useful measurement depended on both timing and knowledge of the transmitter's trajectory, not merely detecting that a satellite was overhead.
Tests on moving vehicles were a demonstration, not a global service
NRL reports trials on boats, land vehicles, and aircraft. These established the practicality of the concept under different observing conditions. A successful demonstration with TIMATION 1 should not be confused with the later multi-satellite GPS service or its receiver performance.
Mission reference: NRL: TIMATION 1 launch and time-based navigation demonstrations. Editorial review: .
The early clock could be tuned mechanically
The contemporary frequency-control paper states that TIMATION I and II used specially built quartz oscillators with stepper-motor tuning. Stable timing therefore did not mean a reference that never needed adjustment. The satellite carried a frequency source whose behaviour and tuning formed part of the experiment, while the ground segment supplied calibration information.
Reference: NASA-hosted precise-time proceedings: quartz oscillators and mechanical tuning on TIMATION I/II.
Rubidium development belongs to the next generation
The same paper describes digital frequency control and experimental rubidium standards for the planned TIMATION III spacecraft. It is a development-era account, so its future-tense plans are not evidence of equipment already flown on TIMATION 1. Keeping the generations separate explains how the programme progressed from quartz timing experiments toward more advanced satellite frequency standards without giving the first vehicle hardware it did not carry.
Reference: NASA-hosted precise-time proceedings: planned TIMATION III digital and rubidium developments.
Reading this orbital snapshot
Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-05. Estimated altitude ranges from 877 km at perigee to 890 km at apogee, a difference of 12 km. The orbital period is about 102.6 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00085 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 69.97 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 70.0 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 2847 · GCAT: S02847 (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)