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BEIDOU-3 G1 — Live Satellite Tracking (NORAD 43683)
Track BEIDOU-3 G1 (NORAD catalog number 43683) 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 has been on orbit since 2018, launched on the 85th orbital launch of that year (COSPAR designation 2018-085A). As of this element set it had completed roughly 2,897 revolutions of Earth.
Moving at about 3.08 km/s, BEIDOU-3 G1 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 0.0006). Its near-equatorial 2.6° inclination keeps it above the tropics at all times. Its orbital plane crosses the equator northbound at right ascension 94.8°.
Orbital elements
| Orbit regime | geostationary/geosynchronous orbit (GEO) |
|---|---|
| Perigee × apogee altitude | ~35,768 km × 35,819 km |
| Inclination | 2.62° |
| Orbital period | 1436.1 min (1.00 rev/day) |
| Eccentricity | 0.00061 |
| Element set epoch | 2026-09-16 |
| COSPAR designation | 2018-085A |
| NORAD catalog number | 43683 |
This page's orbital elements come from the CelesTrak catalog of 2026-09-17. 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
BEIDOU-3 G1 is part of China's BeiDou 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 BEIDOU-3 G1 from the ground?
Not with the naked eye. At its altitude BEIDOU-3 G1 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 are available on this page once you select the satellite and share your position.
Related satellites
Nearest catalog neighbors of BEIDOU-3 G1 in the Navigation group — usually craft from the same or adjacent launches:
- COSMOS 2529 [GLONASS-M] (NORAD 43687)
- GSAT-29 (NORAD 43698)
- BEIDOU-3 M17 (NORAD 43706)
- BEIDOU-3 M18 (NORAD 43707)
- BEIDOU-3 M15 (NORAD 43648)
- BEIDOU-3 M16 (NORAD 43647)
Browse the Navigation directory or the full satellite directory.
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