DUMMY SAT 3/ORION

DUMMY SAT 3/ORION is an active satellite operated by Russia (CIS), launched on 2024-04-11 from Vostochny, Russia. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,040 km and 36,479 km with an inclination of 2.1°. It travels at approximately 11,008 km/h (3.06 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.3 hours — that’s roughly 0.99 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 DUMMY SAT 3/ORION in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

DUMMY SAT 3/ORION 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 2.1°, 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 DUMMY SAT 3/ORION’s average altitude, there are currently 61 active payloads and 14 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 7 share a similar altitude band with DUMMY SAT 3/ORION.