X-37B Not Trackable ever since the North Korea Threat

Before when the North Korean threat started I was able to track the X-37B OTV-3 space vehicle here:
www.n2yo.com...

But now I guess they had N2YO pull it off. I am guessing and perhaps very sure that this secret space vehicle is grabbing constant satellite imagery of North Korea and they dont want the public to see or track this thing.

For sure, it was indeed trackable, before this whole North Korean threat started. But now, it is not.

That's interesting. Did you follow it often? I mean, what kind of obsrvational history do you have with it? It is very interesting that it is off the site now. What kind of images did it take, or what type of surveys or etc. is it capable of?? I can't view from my phone, will have to check from laptop later. Good eye!

We can only hope it just fell into the sea.

Originally posted by darpa999
Before when the North Korean threat started I was able to track the X-37B OTV-3 space vehicle here:
www.n2yo.com...

But now I guess they had N2YO pull it off. I am guessing and perhaps very sure that this secret space vehicle is grabbing constant satellite imagery of North Korea and they dont want the public to see or track this thing.

For sure, it was indeed trackable, before this whole North Korean threat started. But now, it is not.

Isn't the x37b a reusable satellite capable of carrying a weapons payload? (Correct me if I'm wrong)

If indeed its payload has been weaponised due to the NK situation no wonder its operations and locations are being kept secret.
Good find op, most of us I suspect have been too focused on tracking Kim Jong Un's orbiting refrigerator (KMS 3_2)
Thanks for posting S&F.

Originally posted by kkrattiger
That's interesting. Did you follow it often? I mean, what kind of obsrvational history do you have with it? It is very interesting that it is off the site now. What kind of images did it take, or what type of surveys or etc. is it capable of?? I can't view from my phone, will have to check from laptop later. Good eye!

Great thread OP.. I.am this this member. Can you enlighten us a bit on your tracking history ? Did you see any strange flight patterns prior to the NoKo conflict ? Anyway thanks again for the killer thread

Originally posted by darpa999
But now I guess they had N2YO pull it off. I am guessing and perhaps very sure that this secret space vehicle is grabbing constant satellite imagery of North Korea and they dont want the public to see or track this thing.

Your assertion doesnt stand up to the slightest scrutiny.

1. There are other websites such as heavens-above.com that are still showing the position perfectly ok.

2. n2yo clearly show the TLE orbital elements, so details on its orbit have not been censored.

3. If you bother to get a program like Orbitron, you dont need n2yo and can find its position for yourself.

Like I said, the details of its orbit have not been hidden...

1 39025U 12071A 13096.33217550 0.00000100 00000-0 13355-5 0 01
2 39025 43.4964 171.7950 0019565 24.1210 335.8785 15.56956561 05

Passing to the south of Africa as I type.

Originally posted by alfa1

Originally posted by darpa999
But now I guess they had N2YO pull it off. I am guessing and perhaps very sure that this secret space vehicle is grabbing constant satellite imagery of North Korea and they dont want the public to see or track this thing.

Your assertion doesnt stand up to the slightest scrutiny.

1. There are other websites such as heavens-above.com that are still showing the position perfectly ok.

2. n2yo clearly show the TLE orbital elements, so details on its orbit have not been censored.


3. If you bother to get a program like Orbitron, you dont need n2yo and can find its position for yourself.

Like I said, the details of its orbit have not been hidden...

1 39025U 12071A 13096.33217550 0.00000100 00000-0 13355-5 0 01
2 39025 43.4964 171.7950 0019565 24.1210 335.8785 15.56956561 05

Passing to the south of Africa as I type.

Thanks for enlightening us. Now maybe we can hear from the OP ? And get an understanding on why he thinks it's un trackable. . But if anything i am sure like my self and many other members . I had no idea you could even track this thing . Thanks again Op for bringing this to ATS

reply to post by kdog1982


Why would you say that? I think it's good we have an eye on NK.

Originally posted by LightningStrikesHere
I had no idea you could even track this thing .

Depends what you mean by "track".
The actual setup is like this...

1. NORAD have a small number of radar station around the world.
2. When, by chance, an object in orbit passes over one of these stations, its position is detected and an orbit is calculated/updated.
3. Every few days, NORAD, out of the kindness of its heart, release data on the orbits of thousands of objects to the public. **
4. In years gone by, hobbysists would take this data (the Two Line Element thing I posted in my previous post above) and run programs on their own computers to see where, mathematically, theoretically, the object in orbit would be.
5. Some people have since then, like n2yo, set up websites that do those calculations, so lazy users dont need to run their own programs.

So... how do you know the NORAD data is correct?
Answer: You dont.
Unless it is big enough to be visible, and hobbyists take the time to walk outside and observe the object passing overhead, then you just have to take their word for it that the orbit data they supply is correct.


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Edit
** what I meant by that is really that the only reason ANY of this orbital data is available to the public is due to the tireless efforts of Dr T.S. Kelso, for his work over many decades.
If it wasnt for him, personally, probably NONE of these orbits would have been public. Its not like NORAD actually have to do this.
twitter

I used Orbitron before but the x-37b was not listed. Maybe post a screenshot please.
Thx

Originally posted by darpa999
I used Orbitron before but the x-37b was not listed. Maybe post a screenshot please.

A bit more digging reveals that the X-37B satellite has never at any stage of its life had orbital information given out by NORAD.
That n2y0, like everyone else, is and has always been entirely depended on hobbyist observers for information about where the thing is in its orbit.

Thus, "they" cant "pull" the satellite from the n2yo site because they'd never given it in the first place.

n2yo still show the TLE elements, so you could still use those if you wish anyway.
Those TLE elements are an older set than available elsewhere (and posted earlier), and plugging those into Orbitron gives...


With my location listed in North Korea

I still cannot locate it in Orbitron from the list at the right. I loaded all the updated TLE data but USA-240 is not listed. What other names can this go by in this program?

Please enlarge the map.

Thanks.


I cannot find this on the list on the right pane.

Tracking exists at my location.

14 Apr 2.6 05:31:14 44° NNW 05:31:56 58° NNE 05:35:05 10° ESE Visible

Maybe the world has a plot to keep only you in the dark.

Ok wait....

I added this info where the TLE folder is under ProgramFiles\Orbitron then I added in the Military.txt file the following:

USA 240
1 39025U 12071A 13064.06332716 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 05
2 39025 43.5059 359.6315 0013999 120.4861 239.7394 15.56944992 03

Now Orbitron shows it in the list.

Is this how you did it or if not, please explain this. Im lost.

Originally posted by darpa999
Now Orbitron shows it in the list.
Is this how you did it or if not, please explain this. Im lost.

Yewah, thats exactly how I did it.
I was a bit less than clear on the "plugging it into Orbitron", but yeah like you I just copied and pasted the orbital elements into a file and got Orbitron to load it.

Now you dont need n2yo at all.

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Edit
The n2yo site shows the "source" for its data, listed underneath the TLE elements.

For most, like the ISS as an example, it is Source: AFSPC, indicating that the data comes from the Air Force Space Command. This, via the NORAD radar tracking stations.

But for the spy sat we're talking about in this thread, it is Source: SeeSat-L List, indicating that the data comes from the hobbyists I mentioned, who post to the SeeSat mailing list.
Hobbyists cant be "shut down" by TPTB.

And is it possible to track the SBIRS geo 2 USA 241?
www.n2yo.com...
Is there ant TLE info on this?