PALAPA C2

PALAPA C2 is an active satellite operated by Indonesia, launched on 1996-05-16 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. With over 30 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,119 km and 36,175 km with an inclination of 11.7°. It travels at approximately 11,023 km/h (3.06 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.2 hours — 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 PALAPA C2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

PALAPA C2 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 11.7°, 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 C2’s average altitude, there are currently 172 active payloads and 9 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Indonesia operates approximately 17 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with PALAPA C2.