SL-8 DEB

SL-8 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1965-03-15 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the Strela-1 launch. After more than 61 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 759 km and 2,050 km with an inclination of 56.1°. It travels at approximately 25,776 km/h (7.16 km/s), completing one full orbit every 114 minutes — that’s roughly 12.64 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is thousands of years. As orbital debris, SL-8 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.

SL-8 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 1,405 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of SL-8 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 355 active payloads and 273 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 56.1°, SL-8 DEB passes over latitudes between 56.1°N and 56.1°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,537 active satellites in total, of which 297 share a similar altitude band with SL-8 DEB.