PEGASUS DEB

PEGASUS DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1994-05-19 from Vandenberg SFB, California. With over 32 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 544 km and 824 km with an inclination of 81.8°. It travels at approximately 27,060 km/h (7.52 km/s), completing one full orbit every 98 minutes — that’s roughly 14.63 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. As orbital debris, PEGASUS 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.

PEGASUS DEB orbits at an average altitude of 684 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 PEGASUS DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 313 active payloads and 1,282 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 81.8°, PEGASUS DEB passes over latitudes between 81.8°N and 81.8°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 12,258 active satellites in total, of which 72 share a similar altitude band with PEGASUS DEB.