OPS 6909 (VELA 9)

About This Satellite

OPS 6909 (VELA 9) is listed as a payload under NORAD ID 3954 with international designator 1969-046D. According to the GCAT master catalog, it was built by TRW, on the Vela platform, with a catalog mass of 250 kg, with a shape described as Poly. It is associated with United States of America. In the historical build snapshot (TLE epoch 2026-05-14), its HEO orbit had an apogee of about 198,251 km and a perigee near 24,401 km, with an inclination of 89.09° and a period of roughly 6698 minutes; at apogee its speed was about 0.71 km/s. It was launched on 1969-05-23. The available TLE has epoch 2026-05-14; it may be too old for a reliable live-position prediction.

What this identity tells us

The payload classification comes from GCAT record S03954. 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: 2026-05-14. Estimated altitude ranges from 24,401 km at perigee to 198,251 km at apogee, a difference of 173,850 km. The orbital period is about 6698.0 minutes. Eccentricity 0.73850 shows why a single altitude cannot describe the whole path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 6.65 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 89.09 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 89.1 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 6698.0 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 3954 · GCAT: S03954 (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