AMAZONAS

AMAZONAS is an active satellite operated by Hispasat (Brazil), launched on 2004-08-04 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 22 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,250 km and 36,357 km with an inclination of 9.4°. It travels at approximately 11,002 km/h (3.06 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.4 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 AMAZONAS in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

AMAZONAS 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 AMAZONAS’s average altitude, there are currently 49 active payloads and 9 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Brazil operates approximately 31 active satellites in total.