LES 8 9/SOL 11A B DEB *

LES 8 9/SOL 11A B DEB * is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1976-03-15 from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the LES 8 launch. After more than 50 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,476 km and 35,503 km with an inclination of 4.8°. It travels at approximately 11,109 km/h (3.09 km/s), completing one full orbit every 23 hours 41 minutes — that’s roughly 1.01 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, LES 8 9/SOL 11A B 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.

LES 8 9/SOL 11A B 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 4.8°, 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 LES 8 9/SOL 11A B DEB *’s average altitude, there are currently 2 active payloads and 30 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 12,358 active satellites in total.