FREGAT DEB

FREGAT DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 2014-07-08 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the Soyuz Rideshare 3 launch. After 12 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 614 km and 800 km with an inclination of 98.1°. It travels at approximately 27,016 km/h (7.50 km/s), completing one full orbit every 99 minutes — that’s roughly 14.56 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, FREGAT 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.

FREGAT DEB orbits at an average altitude of 707 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 FREGAT DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 251 active payloads and 1,510 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 98.1°, FREGAT DEB passes over latitudes between 98.1°N and 98.1°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 9 share a similar altitude band with FREGAT DEB.