CZ-4C DEB

CZ-4C DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 2018-04-10 from Taiyuan, China on the YG-31-01 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 909 km and 1,294 km with an inclination of 63.5°. It travels at approximately 26,293 km/h (7.30 km/s), completing one full orbit every 107 minutes — that’s roughly 13.42 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. As orbital debris, CZ-4C 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.

CZ-4C DEB orbits at an average altitude of 1,102 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of CZ-4C DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 278 active payloads and 375 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0041. With an inclination of 63.5°, CZ-4C DEB passes over latitudes between 63.5°N and 63.5°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. China operates approximately 1,218 active satellites in total, of which 259 share a similar altitude band with CZ-4C DEB.