CZ-6A DEB

CZ-6A DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 2024-08-06 from Taiyuan, China on the Qianfan Jigui 01 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 795 km and 879 km with an inclination of 89.1°. It travels at approximately 26,771 km/h (7.44 km/s), completing one full orbit every 102 minutes — that’s roughly 14.17 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. As orbital debris, CZ-6A 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.

CZ-6A DEB orbits at an average altitude of 837 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of CZ-6A DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 271 active payloads and 2,173 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 89.1°, CZ-6A DEB passes over latitudes between 89.1°N and 89.1°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. China operates approximately 1,218 active satellites in total, of which 121 share a similar altitude band with CZ-6A DEB.