AMC-9 (GE-12)

AMC-9 (GE-12) is an active satellite operated by SES, launched on 2003-06-06 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 23 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,060 km and 36,215 km with an inclination of 7.9°. It travels at approximately 11,024 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 AMC-9 (GE-12) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

AMC-9 (GE-12) 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 7.9°, 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 AMC-9 (GE-12)’s average altitude, there are currently 187 active payloads and 8 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. SES operates approximately 77 active satellites in total, of which 22 share a similar altitude band with AMC-9 (GE-12).