MARECS A

MARECS A is an active satellite operated by ESA (European Space Agency), launched on 1981-12-20 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. With over 45 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,808 km and 37,832 km with an inclination of 11.6°. It travels at approximately 10,874 km/h (3.02 km/s), completing one full orbit every 25.3 hours — that’s roughly 0.95 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 MARECS A in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

MARECS A 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 11.6°, 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 MARECS A’s average altitude, there are currently 6 active payloads and 4 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. ESA (European Space Agency) operates approximately 93 active satellites in total.