COSMOS 1670 DEB

COSMOS 1670 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1985-08-01 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. With over 41 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 650 km and 691 km with an inclination of 64.9°. It travels at approximately 27,086 km/h (7.52 km/s), completing one full orbit every 98 minutes — that’s roughly 14.67 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. As orbital debris, COSMOS 1670 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 1670 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 671 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 1670 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 577 active payloads and 1,210 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 64.9°, COSMOS 1670 DEB passes over latitudes between 64.9°N and 64.9°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 13 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 1670 DEB.