TITAN 3C TRANSTAGE R/B

TITAN 3C TRANSTAGE R/B is a spent rocket body associated with United States, launched on 1966-06-16 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the GGTS launch. After more than 60 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 33,398 km and 34,742 km with an inclination of 8.6°. It travels at approximately 11,302 km/h (3.14 km/s), completing one full orbit every 22 hours 29 minutes — that’s roughly 1.07 orbits per day. Spent rocket bodies like TITAN 3C TRANSTAGE 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.

TITAN 3C TRANSTAGE R/B occupies geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where its orbital period matches the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. From the ground, it appears to hover over a fixed point — ideal for broadcast television, weather monitoring and wideband communications. With an inclination of 8.6°, it traces a small figure-of-eight pattern relative to the equator rather than remaining perfectly stationary, which can indicate aging stationkeeping fuel or a deliberate inclined-orbit strategy. United States operates approximately 13,206 active satellites in total.