ATLAS 41E DEB

ATLAS 41E DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to United States, launched on 1985-03-13 from Vandenberg SFB, California on the Geosat launch. With over 41 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 687 km and 747 km with an inclination of 107.8°. It travels at approximately 26,997 km/h (7.50 km/s), completing one full orbit every 99 minutes — that’s roughly 14.53 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. As orbital debris, ATLAS 41E 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.

ATLAS 41E DEB orbits at an average altitude of 717 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of ATLAS 41E DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 278 active payloads and 1,662 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 107.8°, ATLAS 41E DEB passes over latitudes between 107.8°N and 107.8°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. United States operates approximately 12,413 active satellites in total, of which 73 share a similar altitude band with ATLAS 41E DEB.