PALAPA B4

PALAPA B4 is an active satellite operated by Indonesia, launched on 1992-05-14 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 34 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,869 km and 35,891 km with an inclination of 13.2°. 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 PALAPA B4 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

PALAPA B4 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 13.2°, 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 PALAPA B4’s average altitude, there are currently 62 active payloads and 29 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Indonesia operates approximately 17 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with PALAPA B4.