The orbit that stands still
At 35,786 kilometers above the equator a satellite takes 1,436 minutes to go round, the time the Earth takes to turn once relative to the stars. Moving at that rate in the same direction as the planet, it stays over one spot. As of October 17, 2026, GCAT lists 575 active satellites in geosynchronous orbit, 3.4% of the 17,101 active satellites, and 392 of them are communications satellites. The small share hides how much of the world's television, weather forecasting and military communication depends on it. Most of the other 16,526 satellites orbit far lower, as the satellite count shows.
From a magazine idea to Early Bird
The idea is older than any satellite. The writer Arthur C. Clarke described it in October 1945. Syncom 2, launched in 1963, was the first geosynchronous satellite, and Syncom 3 in 1964 the first to stay over one place. Early Bird, later known as Intelsat I, launched on April 6, 1965 and entered commercial service on June 28, 1965. The oldest satellite on GCAT's active list launched in 1978.
The types of geosynchronous orbit
A geosynchronous satellite takes about one day to orbit. Only the ones that stay on the equator and don't drift are truly stationary.
Who owns them
United States owns 198 of them and China owns 101.
What they do
When they were launched
The oldest active geosynchronous satellite was launched in 1978. 73 are twenty years old or more, and 129 are less than five.
Who owns the arc
The United States owns 198 of the 575 (about 34%), China 101, India 33, Russia 31, Japan 27, the United Kingdom 24 and France 17. By purpose, communications dominates with 392, followed by navigation (32), technology demonstration (29), weather (26) and early warning (14). Country totals are on the United States, China and India pages.
Not all of them stay put
Only 324 of the 575, 56%, are listed as stationary. 123 are drifting along the arc, 56 are inclined, 25 are near synchronous, 25 are synchronous and 22 are inclined and drifting. A drifting satellite is moving to a new position or has been left to move. An inclined orbit usually means an old satellite that has stopped spending fuel to hold its position, so it traces a figure of eight in the sky instead of staying fixed.
Old satellites and the graveyard
The median age is 11 years. 73 satellites are more than two decades old and 129 are under 5. The busiest launch year among those still active is 2022, with 41, ahead of 2012 and 2015 with 35 each. At the end of life a satellite is lifted about 200 kilometers higher into a graveyard orbit, which clears the arc but leaves it in space for good. The debris page covers what accumulates.
Extending a satellite's life
Station-keeping fuel is often what limits a satellite's life. Northrop Grumman's Mission Extension Vehicle 1 launched on October 9, 2019, docked with a customer satellite on February 25, 2020 and began service on April 2, 2020. It undocked on April 9, 2025 after 5 years of service. A second vehicle launched on August 15, 2020 and docked on April 12, 2021. Both were built to keep satellites that still worked, but were short of fuel, on station.
How the arc was filled
Of the 575 active satellites, 78% launched in 2010 or later. By launch decade the active ones are 1 from the 1970s, 3 from the 1980s, 18 from the 1990s, 104 from the 2000s, 277 from the 2010s and 172 from the 2020s so far. The record year is 2022 with 41, and 2020 had only 19. The catalogue shows what was launched and is still listed as active, not what was ordered or why one year was so large. Four of the 575 launched before 1990, and the oldest, from 1978, is still listed as active nearly half a century on. The 73 over two decades old make up 13% of the arc.
Put another way, 56% are stationary, 21% drifting, 10% inclined and the remaining 72, 13%, are in one of the three near-synchronous categories. A satellite counts as active here even when it is drifting or inclined, so the stationary figure is the better guide to how many hold a fixed position.
Who runs them
By operator code, the largest fleets in GCAT are ISRO with 29, CNSA with 28, the US Space Force's Space Systems Command with 22, Intelsat with 21, China's PLA Strategic Support Force with 19 and the National Reconnaissance Office with 16. Five of those six are government agencies or military units, and Intelsat is the only commercial operator among them. Communications satellites are 68% of the arc, but the next four jobs are navigation (32), technology demonstration (29), weather (26) and early warning (14).
Why 1,436 minutes
A day on a clock is 1,440 minutes. The Earth turns once relative to the stars in about 1,436 minutes, and that's the period a satellite has to match to hold its place over the equator. The four-minute difference is the extra turn the planet needs each day to face the Sun again, because it also moves along its orbit. A geostationary satellite keeps pace with the stars, not with the clock.
What to watch
73 satellites are more than two decades old, so the count of 575 depends on how many replacements launch. The next catalogue update will show whether new geostationary launches keep pace with retirements.