PALAPA 1

PALAPA 1 is an active satellite operated by Perumtel (Indonesia), launched on 1976-07-08 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the Palapa A1 launch. After more than 50 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,811 km and 35,855 km with an inclination of 7.7°. It travels at approximately 11,064 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 PALAPA 1 in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

PALAPA 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 7.7°, 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 PALAPA 1’s average altitude, there are currently 705 active payloads and 41 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. Indonesia operates approximately 19 active satellites in total, of which 12 share a similar altitude band with PALAPA 1.