COSMOS 1900 DEB

COSMOS 1900 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1987-12-12 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 39 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 675 km and 707 km with an inclination of 66.1°. It travels at approximately 27,046 km/h (7.51 km/s), completing one full orbit every 99 minutes — that’s roughly 14.61 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. As orbital debris, COSMOS 1900 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 1900 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 691 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 1900 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 291 active payloads and 1,348 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 66.1°, COSMOS 1900 DEB passes over latitudes between 66.1°N and 66.1°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 12 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1900 DEB.