CZ-4C DEB

CZ-4C DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 2007-11-11 from Taiyuan, China on the yaogan weixing sanhao 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 583 km and 865 km with an inclination of 97.8°. It travels at approximately 26,983 km/h (7.50 km/s), completing one full orbit every 99 minutes — that’s roughly 14.51 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. As orbital debris, CZ-4C 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.

CZ-4C DEB orbits at an average altitude of 724 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of CZ-4C DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 293 active payloads and 1,715 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 97.8°, CZ-4C DEB passes over latitudes between 97.8°N and 97.8°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. China operates approximately 1,217 active satellites in total, of which 59 share a similar altitude band with CZ-4C DEB.