SMS 1 AKM

SMS 1 AKM is a spent rocket body associated with United States, launched on 1974-05-17 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, United States on the SMS A launch. After more than 52 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 30,806 km and 32,880 km with an inclination of 7.5°. It travels at approximately 11,627 km/h (3.23 km/s), completing one full orbit every 20 hours 39 minutes — that’s roughly 1.16 orbits per day. Spent rocket bodies like SMS 1 AKM are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

SMS 1 AKM orbits at an average altitude of 31,843 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 7.5°, SMS 1 AKM passes over latitudes between 7.5°N and 7.5°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.