LowEarth

SKYSAT-C8

NORAD 42990· COSPAR 2017-068D· Active satellite· Earth Observation· SSO
Launch
Launched on Oct 31, 2017 from Space Launch Complex 576E, United States of America aboard a Minotaur C.
Minotaur-C (Taurus XL) | 6 x SkySat & 4 x Dove
Live · TLE epoch 2026-09-11 19:25 UTC
Orbit class
SSO — Sun-Synchronous (LEO at 96–102° inclination)
Operator
Planet Labs
Country
United States
Manufacturer
Maxar (SSL)
Launched
Oct 31, 2017
Mass
Apogee
456 km
Perigee
454 km
Inclination
97.46°
Period
1.56 h

Altitude history

Apogee and perigee for SKYSAT-C8 across 106 days of archived orbital elements (107 element sets, one per day).

Trend
Decaying
Change
-5.7 km
Rate
-0.05 km/day
Now
454 × 456 km
458462454May 29Sep 12
Apogee Perigee

Derived from our own archive of CelesTrak orbital elements, sampled every 3 hours. Short windows show drag and station-keeping; they are not a reentry prediction.

Launched with

5 other catalogued objects still in orbit from launch 2017-068 (Minotaur-C (Taurus XL) | 6 x SkySat & 4 x Dove).

Sources & further reading

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