SATCOM 3R

SATCOM 3R is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 1981-11-20 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 45 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,816 km and 35,846 km with an inclination of 12.1°. It travels at approximately 11,064 km/h (3.07 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.00 orbits per day. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Orbital Radar tracks SATCOM 3R in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SATCOM 3R 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 12.1°, 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 SATCOM 3R’s average altitude, there are currently 686 active payloads and 57 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 137 share a similar altitude band with SATCOM 3R.