SYRACUSE 3A

SYRACUSE 3A is an active satellite operated by Defense Ministry (France), launched on 2005-10-13 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana on the Galaxy 15 launch. With over 21 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,157 km and 36,480 km with an inclination of 5.0°. It travels at approximately 11,000 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 SYRACUSE 3A in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

SYRACUSE 3A 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 5.0°, 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 SYRACUSE 3A’s average altitude, there are currently 47 active payloads and 8 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. France operates approximately 125 active satellites in total, of which 3 share a similar altitude band with SYRACUSE 3A.