HOT BIRD 1

HOT BIRD 1 is an active satellite operated by Eutelsat, launched on 1995-03-28 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. With over 31 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,044 km and 36,071 km with an inclination of 13.1°. It travels at approximately 11,034 km/h (3.07 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 0.99 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 HOT BIRD 1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

HOT BIRD 1 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 13.1°, 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 HOT BIRD 1’s average altitude, there are currently 111 active payloads and 23 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Eutelsat operates approximately 62 active satellites in total, of which 6 share a similar altitude band with HOT BIRD 1.