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SpaceUnited States

Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP)

Space surveillance satellitesIn serviceFielded 2015Pending verification
SpaceUSA
Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP)
Photo: Senior Airman Thomas Sjoberg, U.S. Space Force / DVIDS · Public domain, DVIDS
Fact cardConfidence · Source
System
TypeSpace surveillance satellites
Date of introduction2015
ProliferationOrigin country only
First launch2014Med[1]
Satellites7GSSAP 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 active; 7 and 8 launched 12 February 2026; GSSAP 2 decommissioned 2023Med[1]
ContractorsNorthrop GrummanMed[1]
OperatorMission Delta 9, 1st Space Operations Squadron, Schriever SFBMed[1]
Program statusTwo more in production; commercial follow-on RG-XXMed[1]
Orbit
Orbit regimeNear-GEOMed[1]
Orbit altitude35,888 km22,300 miAbout 22,300 milesMed[1]
Catalogued on orbit6Payloads with current element sets in the public catalog, active or not. GSSAP 1-6 matched by international designator (2014-043, 2016-052, 2022-006). Later pairs are not in the public catalog.High[2]
Active (CelesTrak)4Count in the CelesTrak active satellites list, which estimates operational status.Med[2]
Perigee35,728–36,481 kmActive satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Apogee35,738–36,500 kmActive satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Orbital period1,433.4–1,472.2 minActive satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Inclination1.12–4.55 °Active satellites per CelesTrak, element epoch about 2026-11-08.High[2]
Catalogued satellites · 6[2]
NameNORADCOSPARPerigee kmApogee kmIncl. °Period minStatus
USA 253400992014-043A36,77836,8155.881488Inactive
USA 254401002014-043B36,09636,1245.081452.6Inactive
USA 270417442016-052A35,74535,8084.551435.6Active
USA 271417452016-052B36,48136,5004.531472.2Active
USA 324512802022-006A35,72835,7381.121433.4Active
USA 325512812022-006B35,83435,8401.421438.7Active

Mean elements at epoch 2026-11-07 or later. Perigee and apogee are computed from mean motion and eccentricity and are approximate. Status follows the CelesTrak active list.

Summary

Near-geosynchronous "neighborhood watch" satellites that track and characterize objects in GEO and can perform close approaches.

Draft entry. Values come from the cited public sources and are awaiting editor verification.
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Operators
United States
Sources
  1. Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (weapons and platforms entry), Air & Space Forces Magazine
    Tier 3 · checked 2026-11-08
  2. NORAD GP element sets (current data), CelesTrak (data from the U.S. Space Force 18th/19th Space Defense Squadron catalog)
    Published/updated 2026-11-08 · Tier 1 · checked 2026-11-08
Change log
  • 2026-11-08 Entry created from cited open sources
  • 2026-11-08 Orbital elements from CelesTrak GP data (epoch about 2026-11-08): 6 catalogued, 4 active.