SL-24 DEB

SL-24 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 2013-11-21 from OREN on the Dnepr Rideshare 8 launch. After 13 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 474 km and 479 km with an inclination of 97.4°. It travels at approximately 27,467 km/h (7.63 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.30 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. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 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 477 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 SL-24 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 8,069 active payloads and 208 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1047. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 46.3% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.4°, SL-24 DEB passes over latitudes between 97.4°N and 97.4°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. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 52 share a similar altitude band with SL-24 DEB.