OPS 4682 DEB

OPS 4682 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1965-04-03 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the SNAP-10A FS-4 launch. After more than 61 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 1,150 km and 1,200 km with an inclination of 90.3°. It travels at approximately 26,165 km/h (7.27 km/s), completing one full orbit every 109 minutes — that’s roughly 13.23 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. As orbital debris, OPS 4682 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.

OPS 4682 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 1,175 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 OPS 4682 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 874 active payloads and 336 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0012, ONEWEB-0010, ONEWEB-0008. With an inclination of 90.3°, OPS 4682 DEB passes over latitudes between 90.3°N and 90.3°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 13,199 active satellites in total, of which 11 share a similar altitude band with OPS 4682 DEB.