WESTFORD NEEDLES
Country: United States of America
Live Position
Ground Track · Last 90 Minutes
Upcoming Passes · Over Your Location
About This Satellite
WESTFORD NEEDLES is listed as a separated component under NORAD ID 3257 with international designator 1963-014BX. According to the GCAT master catalog, it was with a catalog mass of 0 kg. It is associated with United States of America. In the historical build snapshot (TLE epoch 2026-09-05), its MEO orbit had an apogee of about 4,121 km and a perigee near 3,161 km, with an inclination of 87.31° and a period of roughly 166.3 minutes; at apogee its speed was about 6.01 km/s. It was launched on 1963-05-09. The build snapshot uses a TLE with epoch 2026-09-05. A moving map, when available, is a prediction rather than a direct measurement.
What this identity tells us
The separated component classification comes from GCAT record S03257. 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: 2026-09-05. Estimated altitude ranges from 3,161 km at perigee to 4,121 km at apogee, a difference of 960 km. The orbital period is about 166.3 minutes. Eccentricity 0.04791 shows why a single altitude cannot describe the whole path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 1.10 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 87.31 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 87.3 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 3257 · GCAT: S03257 (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)