ATLAS 5 CENTAUR DEB

ATLAS 5 CENTAUR DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 2021-12-07 from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the STPSAT-6/LDPE-1 launch. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,001 km and 36,107 km with an inclination of 4.3°. It travels at approximately 11,035 km/h (3.07 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 0.99 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, ATLAS 5 CENTAUR 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.

ATLAS 5 CENTAUR 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 4.3°, 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 ATLAS 5 CENTAUR DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 103 active payloads and 23 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 12,358 active satellites in total, of which 19 share a similar altitude band with ATLAS 5 CENTAUR DEB.