BEIDOU 3 IGSO-1

BEIDOU 3 IGSO-1 is an active satellite operated by Chinese Ministry of National Defense (China), launched on 2019-04-20 from Xichang, China. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,674 km and 35,889 km with an inclination of 58.7°. It travels at approximately 11,070 km/h (3.08 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.00 orbits per day. It is part of the Beidou constellation group. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Orbital Radar tracks BEIDOU 3 IGSO-1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

BEIDOU 3 IGSO-1 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 58.7°, 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 BEIDOU 3 IGSO-1’s average altitude, there are currently 708 active payloads and 58 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. China operates approximately 1,219 active satellites in total, of which 106 share a similar altitude band with BEIDOU 3 IGSO-1.