SCOUT X-4 DEB

SCOUT X-4 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1963-12-19 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the AD-A launch. After more than 63 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 487 km and 672 km with an inclination of 78.6°. It travels at approximately 27,262 km/h (7.57 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 14.96 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. As orbital debris, SCOUT X-4 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 X-4 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 580 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of SCOUT X-4 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 1,768 active payloads and 599 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3005, STARLINK-3090. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 9.5% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 78.6°, SCOUT X-4 DEB passes over latitudes between 78.6°N and 78.6°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United States operates approximately 13,196 active satellites in total, of which 1,160 share a similar altitude band with SCOUT X-4 DEB.