DODECAPOLE 2 DEB

DODECAPOLE 2 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1965-08-13 from Vandenberg SFB, California on the Dodecapole 2 launch. After more than 61 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 795 km and 843 km with an inclination of 90.0°. It travels at approximately 26,804 km/h (7.45 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.22 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. As orbital debris, DODECAPOLE 2 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.

DODECAPOLE 2 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 819 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of DODECAPOLE 2 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 396 active payloads and 2,270 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 90.0°, DODECAPOLE 2 DEB passes over latitudes between 90.0°N and 90.0°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. United States operates approximately 12,358 active satellites in total, of which 133 share a similar altitude band with DODECAPOLE 2 DEB.