PALAPA B1

PALAPA B1 is an active satellite operated by Indonesia, launched on 1983-06-18 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 43 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,796 km and 35,818 km with an inclination of 11.6°. It travels at approximately 11,067 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 PALAPA B1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

PALAPA B1 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 PALAPA B1’s average altitude, there are currently 713 active payloads and 64 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. Indonesia operates approximately 17 active satellites in total, of which 10 share a similar altitude band with PALAPA B1.