LVM3 CUS R/B

LVM3 CUS R/B is a spent rocket body associated with India, launched on 2025-12-24 from SRI on the BlueBird Block-2 FM1 launch. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 492 km and 507 km with an inclination of 52.9°. It travels at approximately 27,421 km/h (7.62 km/s), completing one full orbit every 95 minutes — that’s roughly 15.22 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Spent rocket bodies like LVM3 CUS 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.

LVM3 CUS R/B orbits at an average altitude of 500 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of LVM3 CUS R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 9,674 active payloads and 240 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1017, STARLINK-1039, STARLINK-1047. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 55.3% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 52.9°, LVM3 CUS R/B passes over latitudes between 52.9°N and 52.9°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. India operates approximately 108 active satellites in total, of which 11 share a similar altitude band with LVM3 CUS R/B.