EKRAN 2 DEB

EKRAN 2 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1977-09-20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the Ekran No. 12L launch. With over 49 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,427 km and 35,775 km with an inclination of 3.8°. It travels at approximately 11,094 km/h (3.08 km/s), completing one full orbit every 23 hours 47 minutes — that’s roughly 1.01 orbits per day. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. As orbital debris, EKRAN 2 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.

EKRAN 2 DEB occupies geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where its orbital period matches the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. From the ground, it appears to hover over a fixed point — ideal for broadcast television, weather monitoring and wideband communications. With an inclination of 3.8°, it traces a small figure-of-eight pattern relative to the equator rather than remaining perfectly stationary, which can indicate aging stationkeeping fuel or a deliberate inclined-orbit strategy. Within ±50 km of EKRAN 2 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 4 active payloads and 30 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,285 active satellites in total.