SL-24 R/B

SL-24 R/B is a spent rocket body associated with Russia (CIS), launched on 2002-12-20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the Dnepr Rideshare 2 launch. With over 24 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 602 km and 984 km with an inclination of 64.6°. It travels at approximately 26,853 km/h (7.46 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.30 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. Spent rocket bodies like SL-24 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.

SL-24 R/B orbits at an average altitude of 793 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 SL-24 R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 428 active payloads and 2,271 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 64.6°, SL-24 R/B passes over latitudes between 64.6°N and 64.6°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 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 64 share a similar altitude band with SL-24 R/B.