EUTE 21A (EUTE W3)

EUTE 21A (EUTE W3) is an active satellite operated by Eutelsat, launched on 1999-04-12 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. With over 27 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,280 km and 36,341 km with an inclination of 10.6°. It travels at approximately 11,001 km/h (3.06 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.4 hours — that’s roughly 0.98 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 EUTE 21A (EUTE W3) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

EUTE 21A (EUTE W3) 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 10.6°, 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 EUTE 21A (EUTE W3)’s average altitude, there are currently 47 active payloads and 7 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Eutelsat operates approximately 62 active satellites in total, of which 9 share a similar altitude band with EUTE 21A (EUTE W3).