SL-16 DEB

SL-16 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1998-07-10 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 28 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 813 km and 1,112 km with an inclination of 99.1°. It travels at approximately 26,541 km/h (7.37 km/s), completing one full orbit every 104 minutes — that’s roughly 13.80 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, SL-16 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.

SL-16 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 963 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 SL-16 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 289 active payloads and 1,030 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 99.1°, SL-16 DEB passes over latitudes between 99.1°N and 99.1°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. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 164 share a similar altitude band with SL-16 DEB.