GALS 2

GALS 2 is an active satellite operated by AO Informkosmos / Land Group (Russia (CIS)), launched on 1995-11-17 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the Gals No. 12L launch. With over 31 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,870 km and 35,924 km with an inclination of 14.5°. It travels at approximately 11,055 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 GALS 2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GALS 2 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 14.5°, 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 GALS 2’s average altitude, there are currently 75 active payloads and 26 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,536 active satellites in total, of which 10 share a similar altitude band with GALS 2.