OBJECT B

OBJECT B (NORAD ID 69473) is a space object catalogued under China, launched on 2026-06-09 from Jiuquan, China on the Qianfan DTC1/ZYD-02 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 392 km and 404 km with an inclination of 55.0°. It travels at approximately 27,625 km/h (7.67 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.56 orbits per day. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. 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 398 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of OBJECT B’s average altitude, there are currently 1,314 active payloads and 87 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 7.5% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 55.0°, OBJECT B passes over latitudes between 55.0°N and 55.0°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. China operates approximately 1,218 active satellites in total, of which 43 share a similar altitude band with OBJECT B.