OBJECT A

OBJECT A (NORAD ID 66913) is a space object catalogued under China, launched on 2025-12-05 from Jiuquan, China on the Jiaotong VDES A/B 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 895 km and 911 km with an inclination of 80.4°. It travels at approximately 26,649 km/h (7.40 km/s), completing one full orbit every 103 minutes — that’s roughly 13.97 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT A in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT A orbits at an average altitude of 903 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 OBJECT A’s average altitude, there are currently 213 active payloads and 1,307 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 80.4°, OBJECT A passes over latitudes between 80.4°N and 80.4°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 84 share a similar altitude band with OBJECT A.