AEHF 4 (USA 288)

AEHF 4 (USA 288) is an active satellite operated by US Air Force (United States), launched on 2018-10-17 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,532 km and 36,041 km with an inclination of 1.4°. It travels at approximately 11,070 km/h (3.07 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.00 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 AEHF 4 (USA 288) in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

AEHF 4 (USA 288) 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 1.4°, 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 AEHF 4 (USA 288)’s average altitude, there are currently 713 active payloads and 59 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. United States operates approximately 12,360 active satellites in total, of which 146 share a similar altitude band with AEHF 4 (USA 288).