SCOUT A R/B

SCOUT A R/B is a spent rocket body associated with United States, launched on 1966-08-18 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the NNS O-10 launch. After more than 60 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 1,041 km and 1,090 km with an inclination of 88.8°. It travels at approximately 26,356 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 SCOUT A 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.

SCOUT A R/B orbits at an average altitude of 1,066 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 A R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 308 active payloads and 596 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0041. With an inclination of 88.8°, SCOUT A R/B passes over latitudes between 88.8°N and 88.8°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. United States operates approximately 13,206 active satellites in total, of which 41 share a similar altitude band with SCOUT A R/B.