COSMOS 252 DEB

COSMOS 252 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1968-11-01 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the I2P launch. After more than 58 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 497 km and 1,098 km with an inclination of 62.7°. It travels at approximately 26,845 km/h (7.46 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.28 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. As orbital debris, COSMOS 252 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.

COSMOS 252 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 798 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 COSMOS 252 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 437 active payloads and 2,286 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 62.7°, COSMOS 252 DEB passes over latitudes between 62.7°N and 62.7°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,287 active satellites in total, of which 75 share a similar altitude band with COSMOS 252 DEB.