OBJECT BC

OBJECT BC (NORAD ID 67298) is a space object catalogued under Unknown, launched on 2025-12-28 from Vostochny, Russia on the Soyuz Rideshare 16 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 344 km and 357 km with an inclination of 97.4°. It travels at approximately 27,723 km/h (7.70 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.76 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT BC in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT BC orbits at an average altitude of 351 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of OBJECT BC’s average altitude, there are currently 1,124 active payloads and 50 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1020. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 6.3% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.4°, OBJECT BC passes over latitudes between 97.4°N and 97.4°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.