ANIK F1

ANIK F1 is an active satellite operated by Telesat Canada Ltd. (BCE, Inc.) (Canada), launched on 2000-11-21 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 36,134 km and 36,184 km with an inclination of 5.2°. 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 ANIK F1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ANIK F1 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 5.2°, 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 ANIK F1’s average altitude, there are currently 166 active payloads and 9 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Canada operates approximately 67 active satellites in total, of which 3 share a similar altitude band with ANIK F1.