YZ-1 R/B

YZ-1 R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2025-09-05 from Xichang, China. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,003 km and 36,816 km with an inclination of 28.7°. It travels at approximately 10,989 km/h (3.05 km/s), completing one full orbit every 24.5 hours — that’s roughly 0.98 orbits per day. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Spent rocket bodies like YZ-1 R/B are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

YZ-1 R/B 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 28.7°, 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 YZ-1 R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 19 active payloads and 22 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. China operates approximately 1,220 active satellites in total, of which 2 share a similar altitude band with YZ-1 R/B.