METEOSAT 3 AKM

METEOSAT 3 AKM is a spent rocket body associated with ESA (European Space Agency), launched on 1988-06-15 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou. With over 38 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,752 km and 36,235 km with an inclination of 12.0°. It travels at approximately 11,043 km/h (3.07 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.00 orbits per day. It is part of the Weather constellation group. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Spent rocket bodies like METEOSAT 3 AKM are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

METEOSAT 3 AKM 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 12.0°, 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 METEOSAT 3 AKM’s average altitude, there are currently 57 active payloads and 30 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. ESA (European Space Agency) operates approximately 93 active satellites in total.