ABS 7 (KOREASAT 3)

ABS 7 (KOREASAT 3) is an active satellite operated by KTEL (South Korea), launched on 1999-09-04 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana on the Koreasat 3 launch. With over 27 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,850 km and 35,896 km with an inclination of 6.8°. It travels at approximately 11,058 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 ABS 7 (KOREASAT 3) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ABS 7 (KOREASAT 3) 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 6.8°, 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 ABS 7 (KOREASAT 3)’s average altitude, there are currently 71 active payloads and 38 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. South Korea operates approximately 65 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with ABS 7 (KOREASAT 3).