SCOUT B-1 R/B

SCOUT B-1 R/B is a spent rocket body associated with United States, launched on 1971-08-16 from Wallops Flight Facility / MARS, United States on the Eole launch. After more than 55 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 612 km and 750 km with an inclination of 50.1°. It travels at approximately 27,065 km/h (7.52 km/s), completing one full orbit every 98 minutes — that’s roughly 14.64 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~10–25 years. Spent rocket bodies like SCOUT B-1 R/B are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

SCOUT B-1 R/B orbits at an average altitude of 681 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 SCOUT B-1 R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 344 active payloads and 1,348 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, ONEWEB-0179. With an inclination of 50.1°, SCOUT B-1 R/B passes over latitudes between 50.1°N and 50.1°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 13,206 active satellites in total, of which 96 share a similar altitude band with SCOUT B-1 R/B.