CZ-4 DEB

CZ-4 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 1990-09-03 from Taiyuan, China. With over 36 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 794 km and 829 km with an inclination of 98.5°. It travels at approximately 26,818 km/h (7.45 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.24 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. As orbital debris, CZ-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.

CZ-4 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 812 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of CZ-4 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 408 active payloads and 2,319 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 98.5°, CZ-4 DEB passes over latitudes between 98.5°N and 98.5°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. China operates approximately 1,194 active satellites in total, of which 92 share a similar altitude band with CZ-4 DEB.