SL-16 DEB

SL-16 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 2001-12-10 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the Meteor-3M 17F45 No. 101 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 1,006 km and 1,279 km with an inclination of 100.4°. It travels at approximately 26,221 km/h (7.28 km/s), completing one full orbit every 108 minutes — that’s roughly 13.31 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 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 1,143 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 SL-16 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 403 active payloads and 311 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0250, ONEWEB-0316, ONEWEB-0318. With an inclination of 100.4°, SL-16 DEB passes over latitudes between 100.4°N and 100.4°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 1,285 active satellites in total.