SL-24 DEB

SL-24 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 2007-06-28 from OREN on the Bigelow Genesis-2 launch. After 19 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 546 km and 1,774 km with an inclination of 64.5°. It travels at approximately 26,191 km/h (7.28 km/s), completing one full orbit every 109 minutes — that’s roughly 13.26 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. As orbital debris, SL-24 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-24 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 1,160 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-24 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 669 active payloads and 276 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0012, ONEWEB-0010, ONEWEB-0008. With an inclination of 64.5°, SL-24 DEB passes over latitudes between 64.5°N and 64.5°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 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 7 share a similar altitude band with SL-24 DEB.