OBJECT YL

OBJECT YL (NORAD ID 69796) is a space object catalogued under Unknown, launched on 1998-11-20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the 77KM No. 17501 launch. With over 28 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 405 km and 416 km with an inclination of 51.6°. It travels at approximately 27,600 km/h (7.67 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.52 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 ~1–3 years. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT YL in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT YL orbits at an average altitude of 411 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of OBJECT YL’s average altitude, there are currently 1,032 active payloads and 99 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1017. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 5.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 51.6°, OBJECT YL passes over latitudes between 51.6°N and 51.6°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements.