YZ-1 R/B

YZ-1 R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2023-12-26 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China on the Beidou launch. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 22,173 km and 22,320 km with an inclination of 56.0°. It travels at approximately 13,436 km/h (3.73 km/s), completing one full orbit every 13 hours 23 minutes — that’s roughly 1.79 orbits per day. Spent rocket bodies like YZ-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.

YZ-1 R/B orbits at an average altitude of 22,247 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. Within ±50 km of YZ-1 R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 0 active payloads and 10 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. This is a relatively sparse altitude band, containing less than 1% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 56.0°, YZ-1 R/B passes over latitudes between 56.0°N and 56.0°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. China operates approximately 1,321 active satellites in total.