USA 28

USA 28 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 1987-11-29 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 36,211 km and 36,435 km with an inclination of 12.1°. It travels at approximately 11,000 km/h (3.06 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.4 hours — that’s roughly 0.98 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 USA 28 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

USA 28 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 12.1°, 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 USA 28’s average altitude, there are currently 44 active payloads and 8 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 12 share a similar altitude band with USA 28.