APSTAR 6E SPS

APSTAR 6E SPS is an active satellite operated by APT Satellite (China), launched on 2023-01-12 from Xichang, China. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 2,063 km and 7,025 km with an inclination of 28.7°. It travels at approximately 21,755 km/h (6.04 km/s), completing one full orbit every 3 hours 9 minutes — that’s roughly 7.61 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.2273 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Orbital Radar tracks APSTAR 6E SPS in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

APSTAR 6E SPS orbits at an average altitude of 4,544 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 APSTAR 6E SPS’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 2 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 28.7°, APSTAR 6E SPS passes over latitudes between 28.7°N and 28.7°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. China operates approximately 1,219 active satellites in total.