SL-16 DEB

SL-16 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1993-03-26 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 33 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 798 km and 905 km with an inclination of 70.7°. It travels at approximately 26,744 km/h (7.43 km/s), completing one full orbit every 102 minutes — that’s roughly 14.12 orbits per day. 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 852 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 250 active payloads and 2,034 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 70.7°, SL-16 DEB passes over latitudes between 70.7°N and 70.7°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,287 active satellites in total, of which 48 share a similar altitude band with SL-16 DEB.