SCOUT X-4 DEB

SCOUT X-4 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1965-04-29 from Wallops Flight Facility / MARS, United States on the Beacon Explorer C launch. After more than 61 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 941 km and 1,269 km with an inclination of 41.2°. It travels at approximately 26,287 km/h (7.30 km/s), completing one full orbit every 107 minutes — that’s roughly 13.41 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. As orbital debris, SCOUT X-4 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.

SCOUT X-4 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 1,105 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 SCOUT X-4 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 420 active payloads and 489 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0041. With an inclination of 41.2°, SCOUT X-4 DEB passes over latitudes between 41.2°N and 41.2°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. United States operates approximately 13,197 active satellites in total, of which 41 share a similar altitude band with SCOUT X-4 DEB.