AGILA 1 (PALAPA B2P)

AGILA 1 (PALAPA B2P) is an active satellite operated by Philippines, launched on 1987-03-20 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 39 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,874 km and 35,896 km with an inclination of 14.4°. It travels at approximately 11,057 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 AGILA 1 (PALAPA B2P) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

AGILA 1 (PALAPA B2P) 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 14.4°, 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 AGILA 1 (PALAPA B2P)’s average altitude, there are currently 58 active payloads and 27 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Philippines operates approximately 2 active satellites in total.