THORAD AGENA D DEB

THORAD AGENA D DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1969-09-30 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the P-11 No. 4407 launch. After more than 57 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 201 km and 209 km with an inclination of 69.8°. It travels at approximately 28,028 km/h (7.79 km/s), completing one full orbit every 89 minutes — that’s roughly 16.25 orbits per day. 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 weeks to months. As orbital debris, THORAD AGENA D 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.

THORAD AGENA D DEB orbits at an average altitude of 205 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of THORAD AGENA D DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 26 active payloads and 3 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1209, STARLINK-1267, STARLINK-1274. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 69.8°, THORAD AGENA D DEB passes over latitudes between 69.8°N and 69.8°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United States operates approximately 13,350 active satellites in total, of which 20 share a similar altitude band with THORAD AGENA D DEB.