EUTE W3B

EUTE W3B is an active satellite operated by EutelsatSA (Eutelsat), launched on 2010-10-28 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana on the Eutelsat W3B launch. After 16 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 237 km and 29,234 km with an inclination of 2.5°. It travels at approximately 15,645 km/h (4.35 km/s), completing one full orbit every 8 hours 29 minutes — that’s roughly 2.83 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.6869 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks EUTE W3B in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

EUTE W3B orbits at an average altitude of 14,736 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of EUTE W3B’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 9 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 2.5°, EUTE W3B passes over latitudes between 2.5°N and 2.5°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. Eutelsat operates approximately 62 active satellites in total.