DMSP 5D-3 F16 (USA 172)

WeatherMilitaryLEOSSOPolarUnited States

DMSP 5D-3 F16 (USA 172) is a weather satellite, with ownership listed as United States in CelesTrak's catalogue, currently in low Earth orbit, around 846 km altitude. It completes one orbit of Earth roughly every 102 minutes at an inclination of 99.0°. It was launched in 2003. Track its live position and see when it passes over your location on azmth.

Orbital data

NORAD ID: 28054
COSPAR ID: 2003-048A
Type: Weather
Orbit: LEO
Perigee (lowest): 846 km
Apogee (highest): 857 km
Inclination: 98.98°
Orbital period: 102 min
Launch year: 2003
Owner (CelesTrak): United States

Orbital data updated: 2026-10-18 · from CelesTrak, refreshed every 2 hours.

Who operates it

United StatesLIVEMission ended about 2017

Weather

GCAT lists it as DMSP F-16.

Independent assessment

GCAT classes it as a military satellite for weather and records its mission as ended in about 2017 (17 Oct 2026).

Data: GCAT · CC BY 4.0 Class, mission and status adapted from GCAT by Jonathan McDowell, CC BY 4.0, data update 17 Oct 2026.

Military satellites, counted and explained →

About LEO orbit

Low Earth Orbit. Up to 2,000 km altitude. Where most satellites live including the ISS (~420 km), Starlink (~550 km), and Earth observation. Orbital period roughly 90 minutes.