CZ-3B DEB

CZ-3B DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 2011-12-19 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China on the Nigcomsat 1R launch. After 15 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) at altitudes between 425 km and 42,688 km with an inclination of 21.1°. It travels at approximately 13,601 km/h (3.78 km/s), completing one full orbit every 12 hours 54 minutes — that’s roughly 1.86 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.7567 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. As orbital debris, CZ-3B 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-3B DEB follows a Highly Elliptical Orbit, sweeping between 425 km (perigee) and 42,688 km (apogee). It spends most of its 12 hours 54 minutes orbital period near apogee, effectively loitering over a region of interest before rapidly sweeping through perigee — a profile used for high-latitude communications (Molniya orbits), early-warning systems and magnetospheric science. Within ±50 km of CZ-3B DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 37 active payloads and 11 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include GALILEO 5 (261), GALILEO 6 (262). This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 21.1°, CZ-3B DEB passes over latitudes between 21.1°N and 21.1°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. China operates approximately 1,650 active satellites in total, of which 34 share a similar altitude band with CZ-3B DEB.