ANIK B1 (TELESAT-4)

ANIK B1 (TELESAT-4) is an active satellite operated by Telesat (Canada), launched on 1978-12-16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 48 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,846 km and 35,989 km with an inclination of 9.5°. It travels at approximately 11,052 km/h (3.07 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.00 orbits per day. It is part of the Telesat constellation group. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Orbital Radar tracks ANIK B1 (TELESAT-4) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ANIK B1 (TELESAT-4) occupies geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where its orbital period matches the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. From the ground, it appears to hover over a fixed point — ideal for broadcast television, weather monitoring and wideband communications. With an inclination of 9.5°, it traces a small figure-of-eight pattern relative to the equator rather than remaining perfectly stationary, which can indicate aging stationkeeping fuel or a deliberate inclined-orbit strategy. Within ±50 km of ANIK B1 (TELESAT-4)’s average altitude, there are currently 65 active payloads and 16 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Canada operates approximately 67 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with ANIK B1 (TELESAT-4).