NILESAT 102

NILESAT 102 is an active satellite operated by Nilesat (Egypt), launched on 2000-08-17 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. With over 26 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,401 km and 36,445 km with an inclination of 9.4°. It travels at approximately 10,987 km/h (3.05 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.5 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 NILESAT 102 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

NILESAT 102 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 9.4°, 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 NILESAT 102’s average altitude, there are currently 19 active payloads and 21 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Egypt operates approximately 12 active satellites in total.