GALAXY 27 (TELSTAR 7)

GALAXY 27 (TELSTAR 7) is an active satellite operated by ITSO, launched on 1999-09-25 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. With over 27 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,062 km and 36,220 km with an inclination of 10.3°. 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 GALAXY 27 (TELSTAR 7) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GALAXY 27 (TELSTAR 7) 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 10.3°, 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 GALAXY 27 (TELSTAR 7)’s average altitude, there are currently 182 active payloads and 8 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. ITSO operates approximately 72 active satellites in total, of which 19 share a similar altitude band with GALAXY 27 (TELSTAR 7).