KZ-11 R/B

KZ-11 R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2026-09-17 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China on the Tianyi-51/52 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 133 km and 1,735 km with an inclination of 55.0°. It travels at approximately 26,593 km/h (7.39 km/s), completing one full orbit every 104 minutes — that’s roughly 13.90 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.1097 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Spent rocket bodies like KZ-11 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.

KZ-11 R/B orbits at an average altitude of 934 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 KZ-11 R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 389 active payloads and 1,360 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 55.0°, KZ-11 R/B passes over latitudes between 55.0°N and 55.0°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. China operates approximately 1,291 active satellites in total, of which 69 share a similar altitude band with KZ-11 R/B.