OPS 8701

OPS 8701 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 1982-03-06 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 36,365 km and 36,396 km with an inclination of 9.3°. It travels at approximately 10,992 km/h (3.05 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.4 hours — that’s roughly 0.98 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 OPS 8701 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OPS 8701 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 9.3°, 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 OPS 8701’s average altitude, there are currently 28 active payloads and 16 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 5 share a similar altitude band with OPS 8701.