THOR ABLESTAR DEB

THOR ABLESTAR DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1961-06-29 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. After more than 65 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 885 km and 1,249 km with an inclination of 66.7°. It travels at approximately 26,354 km/h (7.32 km/s), completing one full orbit every 107 minutes — that’s roughly 13.51 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. As orbital debris, THOR ABLESTAR 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.

THOR ABLESTAR DEB orbits at an average altitude of 1,067 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 THOR ABLESTAR DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 273 active payloads and 442 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0041. With an inclination of 66.7°, THOR ABLESTAR DEB passes over latitudes between 66.7°N and 66.7°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United States operates approximately 12,901 active satellites in total, of which 13 share a similar altitude band with THOR ABLESTAR DEB.