PSLV R/B

PSLV R/B is a spent rocket body associated with India, launched on 2016-09-26 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India on the PSLV Rideshare 08 launch. After 10 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 653 km and 709 km with an inclination of 97.8°. It travels at approximately 27,065 km/h (7.52 km/s), completing one full orbit every 98 minutes — that’s roughly 14.64 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 ~10–25 years. Spent rocket bodies like PSLV R/B are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

PSLV R/B orbits at an average altitude of 681 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 PSLV R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 338 active payloads and 1,360 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, ONEWEB-0179. With an inclination of 97.8°, PSLV R/B passes over latitudes between 97.8°N and 97.8°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. India operates approximately 101 active satellites in total, of which 7 share a similar altitude band with PSLV R/B.