GAOFEN 13 DEB

GAOFEN 13 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 2020-10-11 from Xichang, China on the Gao Fen 13 launch. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 32,904 km and 38,694 km with an inclination of 3.1°. It travels at approximately 11,068 km/h (3.07 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 1.00 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, GAOFEN 13 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.

GAOFEN 13 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 3.1°, 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 GAOFEN 13 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 709 active payloads and 59 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ASTRA 1N, GOES 16, TDRS 13. China operates approximately 1,276 active satellites in total, of which 110 share a similar altitude band with GAOFEN 13 DEB.