DELTA 1 DEB *

DELTA 1 DEB * is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1973-11-06 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States on the ITOS F launch. After more than 53 years in orbit, it is one of the longest-surviving objects in the space catalogue. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 913 km and 1,102 km with an inclination of 65.7°. It travels at approximately 26,460 km/h (7.35 km/s), completing one full orbit every 105 minutes — that’s roughly 13.68 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. As orbital debris, DELTA 1 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.

DELTA 1 DEB * orbits at an average altitude of 1,008 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of DELTA 1 DEB *’s average altitude, there are currently 278 active payloads and 1,025 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 65.7°, DELTA 1 DEB * passes over latitudes between 65.7°N and 65.7°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United States operates approximately 13,284 active satellites in total, of which 51 share a similar altitude band with DELTA 1 DEB *.