OBJECT B

OBJECT B (NORAD ID 65946) is a space object catalogued under China, launched on 2025-10-13 from Jiuquan, China on the Shiyan 31 launch. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 457 km and 481 km with an inclination of 80.2°. It travels at approximately 27,482 km/h (7.63 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.32 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT B in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT B orbits at an average altitude of 469 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 OBJECT B’s average altitude, there are currently 8,044 active payloads and 188 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1047. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 46.2% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 80.2°, OBJECT B passes over latitudes between 80.2°N and 80.2°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 1,218 active satellites in total, of which 175 share a similar altitude band with OBJECT B.