INMARSAT 6-F2

INMARSAT 6-F2 is an active satellite operated by INMARSAT, Ltd. (IM), launched on 2023-02-18 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 22,689 km and 48,504 km with an inclination of 5.5°. It travels at approximately 11,095 km/h (3.08 km/s), completing one full orbit every 23 hours 46 minutes — that’s roughly 1.01 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.3076 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Orbital Radar tracks INMARSAT 6-F2 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

INMARSAT 6-F2 orbits at an average altitude of 35,597 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 INMARSAT 6-F2’s average altitude, there are currently 4 active payloads and 30 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 5.5°, INMARSAT 6-F2 passes over latitudes between 5.5°N and 5.5°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. IM operates approximately 20 active satellites in total.