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GSAT-17 — Live Satellite Tracking (NORAD 42815)
Track GSAT-17 (NORAD catalog number 42815) live on the WatchSat interactive 3D globe above. Its position is propagated in real time from the latest CelesTrak two-line element set using the SGP4/SDP4 orbital model — the same math professional trackers run. It is object B of 2017's 40th orbital launch (COSPAR designation 2017-040B). It went up together with 1 other satellite from that launch still in the active catalog. As of this element set it had completed roughly 3,361 revolutions of Earth.
Moving at about 3.08 km/s, GSAT-17 sits in the geostationary belt roughly 35,786 km above the equator, where its 23.9-hour orbit matches Earth's rotation — seen from the ground it stays parked over the same longitude around the clock. The orbit is essentially circular (eccentricity 0.0004). Its near-equatorial 0.0° inclination keeps it above the tropics at all times. Its orbital plane crosses the equator northbound at right ascension 235.7°.
Orbital elements
| Orbit regime | geostationary/geosynchronous orbit (GEO) |
|---|---|
| Perigee × apogee altitude | ~35,777 km × 35,811 km |
| Inclination | 0.02° |
| Orbital period | 1436.1 min (1.00 rev/day) |
| Eccentricity | 0.00040 |
| Element set epoch | 2026-09-07 |
| COSPAR designation | 2017-040B |
| NORAD catalog number | 42815 |
This page's orbital elements come from the CelesTrak catalog of 2026-09-08. The live 3D view above fetches its own current CelesTrak data when the page opens, through an edge cache that refreshes roughly every 30 minutes.
About the Navigation group
GSAT-17 is part of Europe's Galileo fleet — one of 173 global-navigation satellites in the WatchSat catalog across GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. GNSS spacecraft broadcast precise time signals from orbits around 20,000 km up; a phone fixes its position by comparing several of them at once. See the whole navigation group live in 3D.
Can you see GSAT-17 from the ground?
Not with the naked eye. At its altitude GSAT-17 is far beyond unaided visibility — following satellites this high takes a telescope and good timing. You can still track it precisely in the live 3D view above, or check pass predictions for your location.
Related satellites
Nearest catalog neighbors of GSAT-17 in the Navigation group — usually craft from the same or adjacent launches:
- GSAT-19 (NORAD 42747)
- GSAT-9 (NORAD 42695)
- COSMOS 2522 [GLONASS-M] (NORAD 42939)
- BEIDOU-3 M1 (NORAD 43001)
- BEIDOU-3 M2 (NORAD 43002)
- GSAT0215 (GALILEO 19) (NORAD 43055)
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