IUS R/B(2)

IUS R/B(2) is a spent rocket body associated with United States, launched on 1994-12-22 from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the DSP 17 launch. With over 32 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 35,514 km and 35,552 km with an inclination of 14.3°. It travels at approximately 11,103 km/h (3.08 km/s), completing one full orbit every 23 hours 43 minutes — that’s roughly 1.01 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 IUS R/B(2) are among the largest pieces of uncontrolled space debris and are priority targets for collision avoidance manoeuvres and future active debris removal efforts.

IUS R/B(2) 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 14.3°, 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 IUS R/B(2)’s average altitude, there are currently 1 active payload and 37 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. United States operates approximately 12,413 active satellites in total.