FREGAT DEB

FREGAT DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 2011-07-18 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the RadioAstron launch. After 15 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 358 km and 1,606 km with an inclination of 51.4°. It travels at approximately 26,506 km/h (7.36 km/s), completing one full orbit every 105 minutes — that’s roughly 13.75 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. As orbital debris, FREGAT 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.

FREGAT DEB orbits at an average altitude of 982 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 FREGAT DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 280 active payloads and 936 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 51.4°, FREGAT DEB passes over latitudes between 51.4°N and 51.4°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 1,285 active satellites in total, of which 158 share a similar altitude band with FREGAT DEB.