TELECOM 1B

TELECOM 1B is an active satellite operated by France, launched on 1985-05-08 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. With over 41 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,765 km and 35,774 km with an inclination of 10.1°. It travels at approximately 11,072 km/h (3.08 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 TELECOM 1B in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

TELECOM 1B 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 10.1°, 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 TELECOM 1B’s average altitude, there are currently 706 active payloads and 58 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. France operates approximately 115 active satellites in total, of which 4 share a similar altitude band with TELECOM 1B.