YAOGAN-50 02 DEB

YAOGAN-50 02 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 2026-03-15 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China on the YG50-02 launch. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 885 km and 1,001 km with an inclination of 142.0°. It travels at approximately 26,576 km/h (7.38 km/s), completing one full orbit every 104 minutes — that’s roughly 13.86 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. As orbital debris, YAOGAN-50 02 DEB poses a potential collision risk to operational satellites in nearby orbits and is continuously monitored by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network and other tracking systems.

YAOGAN-50 02 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 943 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of YAOGAN-50 02 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 425 active payloads and 1,318 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 142.0°, YAOGAN-50 02 DEB passes over latitudes between 142.0°N and 142.0°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. China operates approximately 1,275 active satellites in total, of which 49 share a similar altitude band with YAOGAN-50 02 DEB.