ARCTURUS

ARCTURUS is an active satellite operated by United States, launched on 2023-05-01 from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the Viasat-3.1/Arcturus launch. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,699 km and 35,719 km with an inclination of 2.8°. It travels at approximately 11,080 km/h (3.08 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.01 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 ARCTURUS in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

ARCTURUS 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 2.8°, 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 ARCTURUS’s average altitude, there are currently 15 active payloads and 33 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 12,413 active satellites in total, of which 6 share a similar altitude band with ARCTURUS.