GALAXY 23 (TELSTAR 13)

GALAXY 23 (TELSTAR 13) is an active satellite operated by Echostar Satellite Services, LLC/Intelsat (United States), launched on 2003-08-08 from Sea Launch (ocean platform) on the Echostar IX launch. With over 23 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,151 km and 36,167 km with an inclination of 3.2°. 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 GALAXY 23 (TELSTAR 13) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

GALAXY 23 (TELSTAR 13) 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 3.2°, 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 GALAXY 23 (TELSTAR 13)’s average altitude, there are currently 166 active payloads and 9 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 12,358 active satellites in total, of which 55 share a similar altitude band with GALAXY 23 (TELSTAR 13).