EKRAN 21

EKRAN 21 is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 2001-04-07 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 25 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,856 km and 36,105 km with an inclination of 14.6°. It travels at approximately 11,044 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 EKRAN 21 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

EKRAN 21 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 14.6°, 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 EKRAN 21’s average altitude, there are currently 50 active payloads and 27 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with EKRAN 21.