ARABSAT 1B

ARABSAT 1B is an active satellite operated by Arabsat (Saudi Arabia), launched on 1985-06-17 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 41 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,684 km and 35,806 km with an inclination of 12.4°. It travels at approximately 11,075 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 ARABSAT 1B in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ARABSAT 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 12.4°, 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 ARABSAT 1B’s average altitude, there are currently 654 active payloads and 47 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. Saudi Arabia operates approximately 15 active satellites in total, of which 8 share a similar altitude band with ARABSAT 1B.