CZ-4B R/B

CZ-4B R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2026-09-10 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China on the YG53/YG56 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 294 km and 495 km with an inclination of 45.1°. It travels at approximately 27,633 km/h (7.68 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.58 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. Spent rocket bodies like CZ-4B R/B are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

CZ-4B R/B orbits at an average altitude of 395 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of CZ-4B R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 1,299 active payloads and 80 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ISS (ZARYA), STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 6.9% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 45.1°, CZ-4B R/B passes over latitudes between 45.1°N and 45.1°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. China operates approximately 1,340 active satellites in total, of which 39 share a similar altitude band with CZ-4B R/B.