OBJECT D

OBJECT D (NORAD ID 52156) is a space object catalogued under China, launched on 2022-03-30 from Jiuquan, China on the Tianping-2A/2B/2C launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 527 km and 538 km with an inclination of 97.6°. It travels at approximately 27,355 km/h (7.60 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.11 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. 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. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT D in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT D orbits at an average altitude of 533 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of OBJECT D’s average altitude, there are currently 6,742 active payloads and 302 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1184, STARLINK-1276, STARLINK-1451. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 38.7% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.6°, OBJECT D passes over latitudes between 97.6°N and 97.6°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. China operates approximately 1,218 active satellites in total, of which 210 share a similar altitude band with OBJECT D.