CZ-2C DEB

CZ-2C DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 2011-07-06 from Jiuquan, China on the shijian shi yihao 03 xin launch. After 15 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 445 km and 465 km with an inclination of 98.2°. It travels at approximately 27,510 km/h (7.64 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.37 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 ~1–3 years. As orbital debris, CZ-2C 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-2C DEB orbits at an average altitude of 455 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-2C DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 7,856 active payloads and 164 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1017. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 45.1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 98.2°, CZ-2C DEB passes over latitudes between 98.2°N and 98.2°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. China operates approximately 1,218 active satellites in total, of which 137 share a similar altitude band with CZ-2C DEB.