Orbital Traffic All objects

Geostationary

DIRECTV 5 (TEMPO 1)

US Direct-Broadcast Television (Legacy) · DirecTV (AT&T)

Right now

It moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.

Watch it live on the 3D globe

Originally launched as Tempo-1 for a cable company's planned direct-to-home service that never materialized, this satellite was acquired by DirecTV and served as one of the first satellites in what would become the US's largest direct-to-home television provider. DirecTV launched in 1994 and rapidly signed up millions of US subscribers by offering more channels at higher quality than cable — a revolution in American television access powered by Ku-band satellites like this one.

Its orbit

Orbit
Geostationaryappears to hang motionless over one spot on the equator
Altitude
22,233–22,250 mi (35,781–35,808 km)
Inclination
5.1°
One orbit
23.9 hoursabout one orbit a day
NORAD ID
27426
Int’l designator
2002-023A
Launched
2002

Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.

More geostationary