EKRAN 18

EKRAN 18 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 1988-05-06 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 38 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 37,231 km and 37,323 km with an inclination of 13.4°. It travels at approximately 10,879 km/h (3.02 km/s), completing one full orbit every 25.2 hours — that’s roughly 0.95 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 EKRAN 18 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

EKRAN 18 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 13.4°, 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 EKRAN 18’s average altitude, there are currently 6 active payloads and 4 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 3 share a similar altitude band with EKRAN 18.