ANIK D1 (TELESAT 6)

ANIK D1 (TELESAT 6) is an active satellite operated by Telesat (Canada), launched on 1982-08-26 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 35,813 km and 35,858 km with an inclination of 12.2°. It travels at approximately 11,063 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 D1 (TELESAT 6) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ANIK D1 (TELESAT 6) 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 12.2°, 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 D1 (TELESAT 6)’s average altitude, there are currently 635 active payloads and 54 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. Canada operates approximately 67 active satellites in total, of which 14 share a similar altitude band with ANIK D1 (TELESAT 6).