GORIZONT 13

GORIZONT 13 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1986-11-18 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 40 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,743 km and 36,879 km with an inclination of 12.3°. It travels at approximately 10,938 km/h (3.04 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.8 hours — that’s roughly 0.97 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 GORIZONT 13 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GORIZONT 13 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 12.3°, 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 GORIZONT 13’s average altitude, there are currently 5 active payloads and 1 tracked debris or rocket body fragment. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with GORIZONT 13.