CZ-6A DEB

CZ-6A DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 2024-08-06 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China on the Qianfan Jigui 01 launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 548 km and 619 km with an inclination of 89.0°. It travels at approximately 27,255 km/h (7.57 km/s), completing one full orbit every 96 minutes — that’s roughly 14.95 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 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 584 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-6A DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 1,517 active payloads and 624 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0050, STARLINK-3005, STARLINK-3055. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 7.7% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 89.0°, CZ-6A DEB passes over latitudes between 89.0°N and 89.0°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 1,695 active satellites in total, of which 232 share a similar altitude band with CZ-6A DEB.