COSMOS 375 DEB

COSMOS 375 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1970-10-30 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the I2P launch. After more than 56 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 504 km and 1,077 km with an inclination of 62.8°. It travels at approximately 26,858 km/h (7.46 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.30 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. As orbital debris, COSMOS 375 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 375 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 791 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 375 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 450 active payloads and 2,439 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 62.8°, COSMOS 375 DEB passes over latitudes between 62.8°N and 62.8°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 1,535 active satellites in total, of which 76 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 375 DEB.