SCOUT A DEB

SCOUT A DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1966-05-19 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the NNS O-9 launch. After more than 60 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 743 km and 819 km with an inclination of 90.2°. It travels at approximately 26,876 km/h (7.47 km/s), completing one full orbit every 100 minutes — that’s roughly 14.33 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. As orbital debris, SCOUT A 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.

SCOUT A DEB orbits at an average altitude of 781 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 SCOUT A DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 457 active payloads and 2,388 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 90.2°, SCOUT A DEB passes over latitudes between 90.2°N and 90.2°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. United States operates approximately 13,196 active satellites in total, of which 188 share a similar altitude band with SCOUT A DEB.