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 757 km and 1,204 km with an inclination of 88.2°. It travels at approximately 26,508 km/h (7.36 km/s), completing one full orbit every 105 minutes — that’s roughly 13.75 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 981 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 365 active payloads and 1,165 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 88.2°, CZ-6A DEB passes over latitudes between 88.2°N and 88.2°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 1,288 active satellites in total, of which 27 share a similar altitude band with CZ-6A DEB.