THOR ABLESTAR R/B

THOR ABLESTAR R/B is a spent rocket body associated with United States, launched on 1960-06-22 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States. After more than 66 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 591 km and 891 km with an inclination of 66.7°. It travels at approximately 26,951 km/h (7.49 km/s), completing one full orbit every 100 minutes — that’s roughly 14.45 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. Spent rocket bodies like THOR ABLESTAR R/B are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

THOR ABLESTAR R/B orbits at an average altitude of 741 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 THOR ABLESTAR R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 412 active payloads and 2,032 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0179, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 66.7°, THOR ABLESTAR R/B passes over latitudes between 66.7°N and 66.7°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United States operates approximately 13,206 active satellites in total, of which 168 share a similar altitude band with THOR ABLESTAR R/B.