AEROCUBE 8D

MilitaryLEOSSOPolarUnited States

AEROCUBE 8D is a military satellite, as listed in Jonathan McDowell's GCAT catalogue, with ownership listed as United States in CelesTrak's catalogue, currently in low Earth orbit, around 492 km altitude. It completes one orbit of Earth roughly every 94 minutes at an inclination of 98.0°. It was launched in 2016. Track its live position and see when it passes over your location on azmth.

Orbital data

NORAD ID: 41852
COSPAR ID: 2016-067E
Type: Military
Orbit: LEO
Perigee (lowest): 492 km
Apogee (highest): 499 km
Inclination: 98.05°
Orbital period: 94 min
Launch year: 2016
Owner (CelesTrak): United States

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

Who operates it

United StatesLIVEMission ended about 2020

Technology test

Independent assessment

GCAT classes it as a military satellite for technology testing and records its mission as ended in about 2020 (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.