USA 32 DEB

USA 32 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1988-09-05 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the P-11 No. 5103 launch. With over 38 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 771 km and 785 km with an inclination of 85.0°. It travels at approximately 26,881 km/h (7.47 km/s), completing one full orbit every 100 minutes — that’s roughly 14.34 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. As orbital debris, USA 32 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.

USA 32 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 778 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of USA 32 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 446 active payloads and 2,397 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 85.0°, USA 32 DEB passes over latitudes between 85.0°N and 85.0°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. United States operates approximately 13,283 active satellites in total, of which 187 share a similar altitude band with USA 32 DEB.