CZ-2C R/B

CZ-2C R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2024-01-09 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China on the Einstein Probe launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 386 km and 464 km with an inclination of 29.0°. It travels at approximately 27,571 km/h (7.66 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.47 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Spent rocket bodies like CZ-2C 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.

CZ-2C R/B orbits at an average altitude of 425 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 CZ-2C R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 6,759 active payloads and 118 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 36.2% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 29.0°, CZ-2C R/B passes over latitudes between 29.0°N and 29.0°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. China operates approximately 1,321 active satellites in total, of which 69 share a similar altitude band with CZ-2C R/B.