COSMOS 374 DEB

COSMOS 374 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1970-10-23 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the I2P launch. After more than 56 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 505 km and 882 km with an inclination of 62.4°. It travels at approximately 27,041 km/h (7.51 km/s), completing one full orbit every 99 minutes — that’s roughly 14.60 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. As orbital debris, COSMOS 374 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.

COSMOS 374 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 694 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 374 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 280 active payloads and 1,371 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 62.4°, COSMOS 374 DEB passes over latitudes between 62.4°N and 62.4°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 1,287 active satellites in total, of which 10 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 374 DEB.