HS-601 Satellite Bus

Data current as of 2026-07-20.

The HS-601 bus accounts for 53 cataloged objects, of which 53 are in orbit and 9 are active. Most are built by HSES. The largest operator on this bus is National Reconnaissance Office. The first launched in 1992, the most recent in 2014.

53
In orbit
9
Active
53
Total launched
0
Reentered

HS-601 launched per year

5 10 1992: 2 objects launched 1993: 6 objects launched 1994: 6 objects launched 1995: 9 objects launched 1996: 6 objects launched 1997: 3 objects launched 1998: 3 objects launched 1999: 2 objects launched 2000: 2 objects launched 2001: 1 object launched 2002: 3 objects launched 2003: 1 object launched 2004: 2 objects launched 2005: 0 objects launched 2006: 1 object launched 2007: 1 object launched 2008: 0 objects launched 2009: 1 object launched 2010: 1 object launched 2011: 1 object launched 2012: 1 object launched 2013: 0 objects launched 2014: 1 object launched 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012
Still in orbit Click a year to list its satellites.

Typical specifications

Most common values across cataloged HS-601 satellites.

Manufacturer HSES
Purpose Communication
Launch mass 2840 kg
Dry mass 1350 kg
Length 4 m
Diameter 2.8 m
Span 26.2 m
Shape Box + 2 Pan
Power 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
Propulsion R-4D-11-300
Design life 14 years
Equipment ?
Typical orbit 1436 min period, 12° inclination

Top operators

National Reconnaissance Office 7 PMW146 6 HCI 5 JSAT 5 SES 4 DTV/HCI 3 NASA 3 HCG 3 NOAA 3 PAN 3 OPT 2 SCC 2 SINDO/PSN 2 TELMX 2 AMSC 1

Top countries

US 34 J 7 L 4 MX 3 AU 2 ID 2 CA 1

HS-601 satellites

Track any of them live in KeepTrack.

Name NORAD COSPAR Owner Launched Orbit Status Track
USA 252 USA 252 39751 2014-027A NROC May 22, 2014 1436 min, 6.0° Active
USA 236 USA 236 38466 2012-033A NROC Jun 20, 2012 1436 min, 6.4° Active
USA 227 USA 227 37377 2011-011A NROC Mar 11, 2011 1455 min, 5.1° Active
EWS-G2 (GOES 15) GOES 15 36411 2010-008A NOAA Mar 4, 2010 1436 min, 1.4° Inactive
GOES 14 GOES 14 35491 2009-033A NOAA Jun 27, 2009 1439 min, 1.8° Inactive
USA 198 USA 198 32378 2007-060A NROC Dec 10, 2007 718 min, 63.8° Inactive
EWS-G1 (GOES 13) GOES 13 29155 2006-018A NOAA May 24, 2006 1458 min, 4.6° Inactive
USA 179 USA 179 28384 2004-034A NROC Aug 31, 2004 718 min, 64.1° Active
SUPERBIRD-A2 Superbird A2 28218 2004-011A SCC Apr 16, 2004 1448 min, 13.5° Inactive
UFO 11 (USA 174) UHF F/O F11 28117 2003-057A PMW146 Dec 18, 2003 1436 min, 9.0° Active
TDRS 10 TDRS 10 27566 2002-055A GSFC Dec 5, 2002 1457 min, 10.2° Inactive
JCSAT-2A JCSAT 2A 27399 2002-015A JSAT Mar 29, 2002 1454 min, 8.4° Inactive
TDRS 9 TDRS 9 27389 2002-011A GSFC Mar 8, 2002 1455 min, 12.2° Inactive
USA 162 USA 162 26948 2001-046A NROC Oct 11, 2001 1436 min, 13.1° Inactive
USA 155 USA 155 26635 2000-080A NROC Dec 6, 2000 1436 min, 10.6° Inactive
TDRS 8 TDRS 8 26388 2000-034A GSFC Jun 30, 2000 1436 min, 12.7° Active
UFO 10 (USA 146) UHF F/O F10 25967 1999-063A PMW146 Nov 23, 1999 1436 min, 9.8° Active
JCSAT-4A JCSAT 4A 25630 1999-006A JSAT Feb 16, 1999 1457 min, 9.8° Inactive
EUTELSAT 115 WEST A Satmex 5 25558 1998-070A SAMX Dec 6, 1998 1459 min, 10.4° Inactive
UFO 9 (USA 140) UHF F/O F9 25501 1998-058A PMW146 Oct 20, 1998 1467 min, 11.3° Inactive
UFO 8 (USA 138) UHF F/O F8 25258 1998-016A PMW146 Mar 16, 1998 1436 min, 11.2° Inactive
JCSAT-1B JCSAT 1B 25067 1997-075A JSAT Dec 2, 1997 1460 min, 11.6° Inactive
SUPERBIRD-A3 Superbird C 24880 1997-036A SCC Jul 28, 1997 1454 min, 12.1° Inactive
INTELSAT 26 (IS-26) JCSAT R 24732 1997-007A JSAT Feb 17, 1997 1456 min, 12.3° Inactive
UFO 7 (USA 127) UHF F/O F7 23967 1996-042A HCI Jul 25, 1996 1437 min, 11.1° Inactive
PALAPA C2 Palapa C2 23864 1996-030A SINDO/PSN May 16, 1996 1454 min, 11.7° Inactive
MSAT M1 M-SAT 1 23846 1996-022A TMI Apr 20, 1996 1460 min, 12.5° Inactive
ASTRA 1F Astra 1F 23842 1996-021A SES Apr 8, 1996 1453 min, 5.5° Inactive
PAKSAT 1 (ANATOLIA 1) Palapa C1 23779 1996-006A SINDO/PSN Feb 1, 1996 1446 min, 10.9° Inactive
INTELSAT 3R (IS-3R) PAS 3R 23764 1996-002A PAN Jan 12, 1996 1453 min, 11.8° Inactive
GALAXY 3R (G-3R) Galaxy 3R 23741 1995-069A HCG Dec 15, 1995 1435 min, 13.3° Inactive
UFO 6 (USA 114) UHF F/O F6 23696 1995-057A PMW146 Oct 22, 1995 1458 min, 11.6° Inactive
ASTRA 1E Astra 1E 23686 1995-055A SES Oct 19, 1995 1458 min, 11.6° Inactive
JCSAT-3 JCSAT 3 23649 1995-043A JSAT Aug 29, 1995 1452 min, 13.0° Inactive
INTELSAT 4 (IS-4) PAS 4 23636 1995-040A PAN Aug 3, 1995 1483 min, 12.0° Inactive
DIRECTV 3 (DBS 3) DirecTV 3 23598 1995-029A DTV/HCI Jun 10, 1995 1455 min, 12.1° Inactive
UFO 5 (USA 111) UHF F/O F5 23589 1995-027A PMW146 May 31, 1995 1458 min, 12.0° Inactive
AMSC 1 AMSC 1 23553 1995-019A AMSC Apr 7, 1995 1456 min, 13.4° Inactive
UFO 4 (USA 108) UHF F/O F4 23467 1995-003A HCI Jan 29, 1995 1436 min, 9.7° Active
ASTRA 1D Astra 1D 23331 1994-070A SES Nov 1, 1994 1455 min, 12.3° Inactive
SOLIDARIDAD 2 Solidaridad 2 23313 1994-065A TELMX Oct 8, 1994 1457 min, 12.4° Inactive
OPTUS B3 Optus B3 23227 1994-055A OPT Aug 27, 1994 1459 min, 12.4° Inactive
DIRECTV 2 (DBS 2) DirecTV 2 23192 1994-047A DTV/HCI Aug 3, 1994 1460 min, 13.0° Inactive
INTELSAT 2 (IS-2) PAS 2 23175 1994-040A PAN Jul 8, 1994 1452 min, 12.3° Inactive
UFO 3 (USA 104) UHF F/O F3 23132 1994-035A HCI Jun 24, 1994 1436 min, 12.4° Inactive
DIRECTV 1 (DBS 1) DirecTV 1 22930 1993-078A DTV/HCI Dec 18, 1993 1455 min, 12.2° Inactive
SOLIDARIDAD 1 Solidaridad 1 22911 1993-073A TELMX Nov 20, 1993 1436 min, 14.4° Inactive
UFO 2 (USA 95) UHF F/O F2 22787 1993-056A HCI Sep 3, 1993 1436 min, 11.9° Active
HGS-4 (GALAXY 4) Galaxy 4H 22694 1993-039A HCG Jun 25, 1993 1436 min, 14.6° Inactive
ASTRA 1C Astra 1C 22653 1993-031A SES May 12, 1993 1457 min, 12.9° Inactive
UFO 1 (USA 98) UHF F/O F1 22563 1993-015A HCI Mar 25, 1993 1451 min, 25.9° Inactive
GALAXY 7 (G-7) Galaxy 7 22205 1992-072A HCG Oct 28, 1992 1444 min, 14.5° Inactive
OPTUS B1 (AUSSAT B1) Optus B1 22087 1992-054A OPT Aug 13, 1992 1452 min, 13.0° Inactive

Frequently asked questions

How many HS-601 satellites are there?

The catalog lists 53 objects built on the HS-601 bus. 53 are in orbit and 0 have reentered.

How many HS-601 satellites are in orbit?

53 HS-601 objects are currently in orbit, of which 9 carry an active status.

Who builds the HS-601 bus?

The HS-601 bus is most commonly built by HSES.

When did the first HS-601 satellite launch?

The first cataloged HS-601 satellite launched in 1992, and the most recent in 2014.

Satellite data compiled by KeepTrack from CelesTrak, Space-Track, and GCAT, provided under CC BY-NC 4.0.