OPS 4988 DEB

OPS 4988 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1965-03-09 from Vandenberg SFB, California on the Secor Type II S/N 1 launch. After more than 61 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 862 km and 892 km with an inclination of 70.1°. It travels at approximately 26,697 km/h (7.42 km/s), completing one full orbit every 103 minutes — that’s roughly 14.05 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. As orbital debris, OPS 4988 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.

OPS 4988 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 877 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 OPS 4988 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 172 active payloads and 1,724 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20. With an inclination of 70.1°, OPS 4988 DEB passes over latitudes between 70.1°N and 70.1°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 12,413 active satellites in total, of which 36 share a similar altitude band with OPS 4988 DEB.