GORIZONT 28

GORIZONT 28 is an active satellite operated by GPKS (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1993-10-28 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the Gorizont No. 40L launch. With over 33 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,832 km and 36,093 km with an inclination of 14.1°. It travels at approximately 11,047 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 GORIZONT 28 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GORIZONT 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 14.1°, 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 GORIZONT 28’s average altitude, there are currently 67 active payloads and 21 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,547 active satellites in total, of which 4 share a similar altitude band with GORIZONT 28.