OV1-5 DEB

OV1-5 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1966-03-30 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the OV1-4S launch. After more than 60 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 687 km and 715 km with an inclination of 144.6°. It travels at approximately 27,027 km/h (7.51 km/s), completing one full orbit every 99 minutes — that’s roughly 14.57 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. As orbital debris, OV1-5 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.

OV1-5 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 701 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 OV1-5 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 293 active payloads and 1,585 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, ONEWEB-0179. With an inclination of 144.6°, OV1-5 DEB passes over latitudes between 144.6°N and 144.6°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. United States operates approximately 13,196 active satellites in total, of which 81 share a similar altitude band with OV1-5 DEB.