STARLINK-34343 DEB

STARLINK-34343 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 2025-05-27 from Vandenberg SFB, California on the Starlink Group 17-1 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 495 km and 527 km with an inclination of 97.6°. It travels at approximately 27,398 km/h (7.61 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.19 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. It is part of the Starlink constellation group. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~3–10 years. As orbital debris, STARLINK-34343 DEB poses a potential collision risk to operational satellites in nearby orbits and is continuously monitored by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network and other tracking systems.

STARLINK-34343 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 511 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 STARLINK-34343 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 9,599 active payloads and 263 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 54.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.6°, STARLINK-34343 DEB passes over latitudes between 97.6°N and 97.6°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. United States operates approximately 12,446 active satellites in total, of which 8,938 share a similar altitude band with STARLINK-34343 DEB.