COSMOS 1823 DEB

COSMOS 1823 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1987-02-20 from PKMTR on the Musson No. 19 launch. With over 39 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 776 km and 796 km with an inclination of 73.8°. It travels at approximately 26,866 km/h (7.46 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.32 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. As orbital debris, COSMOS 1823 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.

COSMOS 1823 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 786 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 COSMOS 1823 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 420 active payloads and 2,268 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 73.8°, COSMOS 1823 DEB passes over latitudes between 73.8°N and 73.8°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 60 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1823 DEB.