VESPA - DEB

VESPA - DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to ESA (European Space Agency), launched on 2026-09-15 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana on the Sentinel-3C/Flex 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 654 km and 819 km with an inclination of 98.6°. It travels at approximately 26,960 km/h (7.49 km/s), completing one full orbit every 100 minutes — that’s roughly 14.47 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. As orbital debris, VESPA - 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.

VESPA - DEB orbits at an average altitude of 737 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of VESPA - DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 411 active payloads and 2,053 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, ONEWEB-0179, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 98.6°, VESPA - DEB passes over latitudes between 98.6°N and 98.6°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. ESA (European Space Agency) operates approximately 97 active satellites in total, of which 9 share a similar altitude band with VESPA - DEB.