Topic summary
Geosynchronous
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Geosynchronous orbit.
Retired satellites
Geosynchronous satellites require some station-keeping to remain in position, and once they run out of thruster fuel and are no longer useful they are moved into a higher graveyard orbit. It is not feasible to deorbit geosynchronous satellites, for to do so would take far more fuel than would be used by slightly elevating the orbit; and atmospheric drag is negligible, giving GSOs lifetimes of thousands of years.