Geostationary
FLTSATCOM 8 (USA 46)
Military UHF Communications (Legacy) · US Space Force / US Navy
Right now
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The last surviving FLTSATCOM satellite — a relic of the Cold War Navy communications fleet launched in 1989 and still partially operational. FLTSATCOM provided UHF communications for the US Pacific and Atlantic fleets during the Cold War, supporting naval operations from submarine communications to fleet command. That it still functions at all after more than 35 years in orbit is a testament to the overengineering of Cold War military hardware.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Geostationaryappears to hang motionless over one spot on the equator
- Altitude
- 22,234–22,250 mi (35,783–35,808 km)
- Inclination
- 12.4°
- One orbit
- 23.9 hoursabout one orbit a day
- NORAD ID
- 20253
- Int’l designator
- 1989-077A
- Launched
- 1989
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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