CZ-4C R/B

CZ-4C R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2010-11-04 from Taiyuan, China on the fengyun sanhao 01 B xing launch. After 16 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 672 km and 794 km with an inclination of 98.8°. It travels at approximately 26,966 km/h (7.49 km/s), completing one full orbit every 99 minutes — that’s roughly 14.48 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. Spent rocket bodies like CZ-4C R/B are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

CZ-4C R/B orbits at an average altitude of 733 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of CZ-4C R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 359 active payloads and 1,871 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include TERRA, AQUA, LANDSAT 9. With an inclination of 98.8°, CZ-4C R/B passes over latitudes between 98.8°N and 98.8°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. China operates approximately 1,221 active satellites in total, of which 46 share a similar altitude band with CZ-4C R/B.