SOLRAD 11A/B AKM

SOLRAD 11A/B AKM is a spent rocket body associated with United States, launched on 1976-03-15 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the LES 8 launch. After more than 50 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 118,746 km and 126,682 km with an inclination of 11.7°. It travels at approximately 6,326 km/h (1.76 km/s), completing one full orbit every 128.2 hours — that’s roughly 0.19 orbits per day. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Spent rocket bodies like SOLRAD 11A/B AKM are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

SOLRAD 11A/B AKM orbits at an average altitude of 122,714 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. With an inclination of 11.7°, SOLRAD 11A/B AKM passes over latitudes between 11.7°N and 11.7°S, concentrating coverage over equatorial and near-equatorial regions. Low-inclination orbits maximise revisit rates over specific tropical zones. United States operates approximately 13,206 active satellites in total.