PSLV DEB

PSLV DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to India, launched on 2001-10-22 from SRI on the TES launch. With over 25 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 376 km and 383 km with an inclination of 97.8°. It travels at approximately 27,663 km/h (7.68 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.63 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. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. As orbital debris, PSLV 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.

PSLV DEB orbits at an average altitude of 380 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 PSLV DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 1,287 active payloads and 63 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1020. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 7.4% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.8°, PSLV DEB passes over latitudes between 97.8°N and 97.8°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. India operates approximately 108 active satellites in total, of which 4 share a similar altitude band with PSLV DEB.