In orbitDebris

WESTFORD NEEDLES

NORAD: 3257
COSPAR: 1963-014BX

OrbitalWiki publishes live orbits for active satellites only. This object is in the full catalogue: who launched it, what it is and its last published orbit are below, but there are no current orbital elements for it here.

Spacecraft

Owner: US Air Force Space Systems Division

From GCAT by Jonathan McDowell (CC BY 4.0), record S03257, checked 2026-11-05. About this source

Launch

Launch date: 1963-05-09
Rocket: Atlas Agena B
Flight: Midas 7
Mission name: Midas ETS-III F2
Launch site: PA, LC1-2
Launched by: US Air Force Space Systems Division
Rocket performance: Success
Launch designator: 1963-014

From the GCAT launch log, launch 1963-014, checked 2026-11-05. About this source

Catalogue record

Object type: Debris
Owner code: US
Launch date: 1963-05-09
Period: 166.3 min
Inclination: 87.29°
Apogee: 4,148 km
Perigee: 3,134 km
Radar cross-section: 0.1826 m²

From CelesTrak SATCAT, checked 2026-11-05. About this source

Where it came from

Everything from this launch

Debris148 in total, 43 still in orbit
Payload4 in total, 3 still in orbit