CZ-4C R/B

CZ-4C R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2010-03-05 from Jiuquan, China on the yaogan weixing jiuhao launch. After 16 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 473 km and 1,504 km with an inclination of 63.4°. It travels at approximately 26,494 km/h (7.36 km/s), completing one full orbit every 105 minutes — that’s roughly 13.73 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Spent rocket bodies like CZ-4C 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.

CZ-4C R/B orbits at an average altitude of 989 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-4C R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 291 active payloads and 917 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 63.4°, CZ-4C R/B passes over latitudes between 63.4°N and 63.4°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 41 share a similar altitude band with CZ-4C R/B.