MINOTAUR 4 DEB

MINOTAUR 4 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 2020-07-15 from Wallops Island, Virginia on the NROL-129 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 548 km and 559 km with an inclination of 54.0°. It travels at approximately 27,313 km/h (7.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 15.04 orbits per day. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. As orbital debris, MINOTAUR 4 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.

MINOTAUR 4 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 554 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of MINOTAUR 4 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 3,366 active payloads and 373 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, ONEWEB-0050. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 19.3% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 54.0°, MINOTAUR 4 DEB passes over latitudes between 54.0°N and 54.0°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 12,358 active satellites in total, of which 2,754 share a similar altitude band with MINOTAUR 4 DEB.