EKRAN 2 DEB

EKRAN 2 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1977-09-20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the Ekran No. 12L launch. With over 49 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,702 km and 35,815 km with an inclination of 4.1°. It travels at approximately 11,073 km/h (3.08 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.00 orbits per day. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. As orbital debris, EKRAN 2 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.

EKRAN 2 DEB occupies geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where its orbital period matches the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. From the ground, it appears to hover over a fixed point — ideal for broadcast television, weather monitoring and wideband communications. With an inclination of 4.1°, it traces a small figure-of-eight pattern relative to the equator rather than remaining perfectly stationary, which can indicate aging stationkeeping fuel or a deliberate inclined-orbit strategy. Within ±50 km of EKRAN 2 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 688 active payloads and 52 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 111 share a similar altitude band with EKRAN 2 DEB.