MINOTAUR 4 DEB

MINOTAUR 4 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 2020-07-15 from Wallops Flight Facility / MARS, United States on the NROL-129 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 439 km and 461 km with an inclination of 54.2°. It travels at approximately 27,520 km/h (7.64 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.39 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 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 450 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 10,062 active payloads and 147 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ISS (ZARYA), STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 53.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 54.2°, MINOTAUR 4 DEB passes over latitudes between 54.2°N and 54.2°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 13,197 active satellites in total, of which 9,663 share a similar altitude band with MINOTAUR 4 DEB.