OBJECT YN

OBJECT YN (NORAD ID 69798) is a space object catalogued under Unknown, launched on 1998-11-20 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on the 77KM No. 17501 launch. With over 28 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. Independent catalogue analysis identifies this object as Proves-Atlas, attributed to NEU. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 390 km and 404 km with an inclination of 51.6°. It travels at approximately 27,627 km/h (7.67 km/s), completing one full orbit every 93 minutes — that’s roughly 15.57 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. Orbital Radar tracks OBJECT YN in real time using the latest two-line element set (TLE) data, providing live position, altitude, speed and orbital path updated continuously.

OBJECT YN orbits at an average altitude of 397 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 YN’s average altitude, there are currently 1,391 active payloads and 79 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ISS (ZARYA), STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 7.3% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 51.6°, OBJECT YN 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.