THOR 2A

THOR 2A is an active satellite operated by Norway, launched on 1997-05-20 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 29 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,139 km and 36,173 km with an inclination of 12.0°. It travels at approximately 11,021 km/h (3.06 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.3 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 THOR 2A in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

THOR 2A 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 12.0°, 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 THOR 2A’s average altitude, there are currently 168 active payloads and 9 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Norway operates approximately 26 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with THOR 2A.