SJ-23 AKM

SJ-23 AKM is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2023-01-08 from Wenchang, China on the Shi Jian 23 launch. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 36,036 km and 36,051 km with an inclination of 3.8°. It travels at approximately 11,036 km/h (3.07 km/s), completing one full orbit every ~24 hours (geosynchronous) — that’s roughly 0.99 orbits per day. At geostationary altitude, there is no meaningful atmospheric drag — this object will remain in orbit indefinitely unless actively deorbited. Spent rocket bodies like SJ-23 AKM are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

SJ-23 AKM occupies geostationary orbit at approximately 35,786 km above the equator, where its orbital period matches the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. From the ground, it appears to hover over a fixed point — ideal for broadcast television, weather monitoring and wideband communications. With an inclination of 3.8°, it traces a small figure-of-eight pattern relative to the equator rather than remaining perfectly stationary, which can indicate aging stationkeeping fuel or a deliberate inclined-orbit strategy. Within ±50 km of SJ-23 AKM’s average altitude, there are currently 90 active payloads and 26 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. China operates approximately 1,221 active satellites in total, of which 6 share a similar altitude band with SJ-23 AKM.