CZ-1 DEB

CZ-1 DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to China, launched on 1970-04-24 from Jiuquan, China on the Dong Fang Hong launch. After more than 56 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 423 km and 1,380 km with an inclination of 68.4°. It travels at approximately 26,652 km/h (7.40 km/s), completing one full orbit every 103 minutes — that’s roughly 13.98 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. As orbital debris, CZ-1 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.

CZ-1 DEB orbits at an average altitude of 902 km in the upper LEO band, where atmospheric drag is negligible and objects can persist for centuries to millennia. This altitude is used by broadband constellations like OneWeb and by scientific missions requiring stable orbits far from the densest debris bands. Within ±50 km of CZ-1 DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 200 active payloads and 1,361 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 68.4°, CZ-1 DEB passes over latitudes between 68.4°N and 68.4°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. China operates approximately 1,221 active satellites in total, of which 74 share a similar altitude band with CZ-1 DEB.