SATCOM 4

SATCOM 4 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 1982-01-16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 44 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,780 km and 36,179 km with an inclination of 12.8°. It travels at approximately 11,044 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 4 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SATCOM 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 12.8°, 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 4’s average altitude, there are currently 49 active payloads and 26 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 14 share a similar altitude band with SATCOM 4.