LANDSAT 8
Country: United States · Also known as: Landsat Data Continuity Mission
Live Position
Ground Track · Last 90 Minutes
Upcoming Passes · Over Your Location
About This Satellite
Landsat 8 carries the Operational Land Imager and the Thermal Infrared Sensor. Together they record reflected and emitted radiation, supplying information about the land surface that cannot be reduced to an ordinary colour photograph.
Mission context
Different spectral bands support different questions. Near-infrared observations can help distinguish vegetation, while thermal observations concern surface temperature. The public mission archive, not the moving marker here, is the place to obtain those measured image products.
What to notice in this record
Passing a latitude is not the same as imaging every point at that latitude. Instrument swath, pointing, clouds, and the acquisition plan determine the usable scenes. The ground track represents the point beneath the satellite, not the full footprint of its sensors.
Mission reference: USGS: Landsat 8. Editorial review: .
Reading this orbital snapshot
Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-05. Estimated altitude ranges from 702 km at perigee to 703 km at apogee, a difference of 2 km. The orbital period is about 98.8 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00013 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 98.22 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 81.8 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 39084 · GCAT: S39084 (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)