OPS 7641

OPS 7641 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 1984-04-14 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 42 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,202 km and 36,275 km with an inclination of 10.2°. It travels at approximately 11,011 km/h (3.06 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.3 hours — that’s roughly 0.99 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 7641 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OPS 7641 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 10.2°, 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 OPS 7641’s average altitude, there are currently 69 active payloads and 13 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 25 share a similar altitude band with OPS 7641.