ATLAS 3B CENTAUR R/B

ATLAS 3B CENTAUR R/B is a spent rocket body associated with United States, launched on 2005-02-03 from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the INTRUDER 7 launch. With over 21 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 937 km and 1,256 km with an inclination of 63.8°. It travels at approximately 26,302 km/h (7.31 km/s), completing one full orbit every 107 minutes — that’s roughly 13.43 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~500–1,000 years. Spent rocket bodies like ATLAS 3B CENTAUR 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.

ATLAS 3B CENTAUR R/B orbits at an average altitude of 1,097 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 ATLAS 3B CENTAUR R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 174 active payloads and 388 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include ONEWEB-0041. With an inclination of 63.8°, ATLAS 3B CENTAUR R/B passes over latitudes between 63.8°N and 63.8°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. United States operates approximately 12,413 active satellites in total, of which 12 share a similar altitude band with ATLAS 3B CENTAUR R/B.