TELSTAR 303

TELSTAR 303 is an active satellite operated by United States, 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 35,888 km and 35,909 km with an inclination of 14.2°. It travels at approximately 11,055 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 TELSTAR 303 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

TELSTAR 303 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 14.2°, 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 TELSTAR 303’s average altitude, there are currently 60 active payloads and 23 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 18 share a similar altitude band with TELSTAR 303.