SATCOM C3

SATCOM C3 is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 1992-09-10 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. With over 34 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,620 km and 36,832 km with an inclination of 14.0°. It travels at approximately 10,948 km/h (3.04 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.7 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 SATCOM C3 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SATCOM C3 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 14.0°, 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 SATCOM C3’s average altitude, there are currently 6 active payloads and 1 tracked debris or rocket body fragment. United States operates approximately 12,339 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with SATCOM C3.