SATCOM K2

SATCOM K2 is an active satellite operated by RCA Americom (United States), launched on 1985-11-27 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the OV-104 PAM deploy launch. With over 41 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,910 km and 36,036 km with an inclination of 14.7°. It travels at approximately 11,045 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 SATCOM K2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SATCOM K2 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 14.7°, 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 SATCOM K2’s average altitude, there are currently 60 active payloads and 25 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 13,342 active satellites in total, of which 21 share a similar altitude band with SATCOM K2.