COSMOS 1275 DEB

COSMOS 1275 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1981-06-04 from PKMTR. With over 45 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 703 km and 725 km with an inclination of 82.8°. It travels at approximately 27,002 km/h (7.50 km/s), completing one full orbit every 99 minutes — that’s roughly 14.54 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. As orbital debris, COSMOS 1275 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.

COSMOS 1275 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 714 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of COSMOS 1275 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 264 active payloads and 1,602 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 82.8°, COSMOS 1275 DEB passes over latitudes between 82.8°N and 82.8°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. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 10 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1275 DEB.