CZ-2C DEB

CZ-2C DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 2014-09-28 from Jiuquan, China on the SJ-11-07 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 555 km and 630 km with an inclination of 98.2°. It travels at approximately 27,237 km/h (7.57 km/s), completing one full orbit every 97 minutes — that’s roughly 14.92 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 ~3–10 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 593 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 2,122 active payloads and 612 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 12.2% 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 179 share a similar altitude band with CZ-2C DEB.