LUCH DEB

LUCH DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1994-12-16 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the Al'tair No. 13L launch. With over 32 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,576 km and 35,758 km with an inclination of 14.6°. It travels at approximately 11,085 km/h (3.08 km/s), completing one full orbit every 23 hours 50 minutes — that’s roughly 1.01 orbits per day. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. As orbital debris, LUCH 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.

LUCH DEB occupies geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where its orbital period matches the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. From the ground, it appears to hover over a fixed point — ideal for broadcast television, weather monitoring and wideband communications. With an inclination of 14.6°, it traces a small figure-of-eight pattern relative to the equator rather than remaining perfectly stationary, which can indicate aging stationkeeping fuel or a deliberate inclined-orbit strategy. Within ±50 km of LUCH DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 8 active payloads and 28 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,285 active satellites in total.