ATLAS H R/B

ATLAS H R/B is a spent rocket body associated with United States, launched on 1987-05-15 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the PARCAE 9 launch. With over 39 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 548 km and 1,585 km with an inclination of 63.3°. It travels at approximately 26,355 km/h (7.32 km/s), completing one full orbit every 107 minutes — that’s roughly 13.52 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. Spent rocket bodies like ATLAS H R/B are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

ATLAS H R/B 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 ATLAS H R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 309 active payloads and 589 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0041. With an inclination of 63.3°, ATLAS H R/B passes over latitudes between 63.3°N and 63.3°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 13,201 active satellites in total, of which 41 share a similar altitude band with ATLAS H R/B.