SYNCOM 2 (A 26)

About This Satellite

Syncom 2 became the first successful geosynchronous satellite in 1963. Its achievement was matching the daily rotation period closely enough to demonstrate a new communications architecture. It was not the first geostationary satellite: the inclined orbit still made its apparent position change for observers on Earth.

Matching the period does not fix the point in the sky

The orbit crossed above and below the equator instead of lying in the equatorial plane. That north-south movement is the essential difference from the later Syncom 3 demonstration. Geosynchronous describes the period; geostationary also requires the appropriate circular, equatorial, prograde orbit.

Read the original mission and the dated orbit separately

The historical achievement describes the controlled experimental orbit. The inclination and period in a later catalog snapshot describe a different date. A difference between those values does not invalidate the milestone, and the historical milestone does not certify that the object currently occupies its original operating position.

Mission reference: NASA History: Syncom 2 geosynchronous milestone. Editorial review: 2026-09-12.

Why the ground antennas still needed to follow it

NASA's communications history describes the original path as extending approximately 33 degrees north and south. Ground stations had to track the changing apparent position, and visibility at the coverage fringes could vary. Continuous visibility from one station was therefore not a universal promise for every station on Earth.

Reference: NASA: Syncom 2 ground tracking and coverage limits.

A communications demonstration with several signal types

The NASA historical data book records telephone, teletype, facsimile, and video demonstrations with Syncom 2. These experiments tested a system before it became a familiar commercial architecture. Their success should be understood as a historical result, not as an indication that those services are available from the tracked object today.

Reference: NASA Historical Data Book: Syncom 2 demonstrations.

Reading this orbital snapshot

Based on TLE epoch: 2026-08-29. Estimated altitude ranges from 35,755 km at perigee to 35,817 km at apogee, a difference of 61 km. The orbital period is about 1436.1 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00073 indicates a nearly circular path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 1.00 times apogee speed. These are mean-element estimates, not instantaneous measurements. Distance per orbit uses an ellipse approximation.

Saved build snapshot. If a valid TLE is retrieved, this explanation and the orbit panel update together. Otherwise this dated snapshot is retained.

Ground track is not sensor coverage

An inclination of 29.83 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 29.8 degrees north and south. This is a prograde orbit, moving in the same general direction as Earth rotation. The plotted line marks the point beneath the object. It does not represent camera coverage, radio reception, or a guaranteed visible pass.

Is it fixed above one longitude?

The snapshot period is 1436.1 minutes. A sidereal day is about 1,436.07 minutes. Height alone does not establish a geostationary orbit: the period must match Earth rotation and the path must be circular and equatorial. This catalog uses a five-minute period tolerance for near-geosynchronous labels; near-geostationary additionally requires inclination at most 1 degree and eccentricity at most 0.01. These are browsing categories, not evidence of station-keeping or a fixed longitude.

Accuracy and missing information

The introductory record describes the build snapshot. The orbital snapshot explanation and orbit panel share any successfully retrieved TLE; check the displayed epoch. Reentered objects retain historical data only. Mission history is not rewritten by TLE updates. TLE/SGP4 positions are predictions and can change after maneuvers or updated observations. The 14-day stale-data cutoff is a display safeguard, not an accuracy guarantee. Local passes are geometric predictions, not a visibility forecast. No verified operator or mission status means unknown, not active. Do not use this catalog for collision avoidance or operational flight decisions.

Catalog sources: CelesTrak SATCAT: NORAD 634 · GCAT: S00634 (source update 2026 Sep 4 2345:57). Supplementary metadata: SatNOGS DB, retrieved 2026-09-05T12:57:25.375Z. Page assembled 2026-09-15. GCAT phase codes describe trajectory phases, not mission health.

Learn more: TLE data · Perigee and apogee · Ground tracks · JOT (Jewawud Live Orbital Map)

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