DELTA 4 R/B

DELTA 4 R/B is a spent rocket body associated with United States, launched on 2010-11-21 from Cape Canaveral, Florida on the ORION 7 launch. After 16 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at altitudes between 33,891 km and 35,634 km with an inclination of 9.4°. It travels at approximately 11,207 km/h (3.11 km/s), completing one full orbit every 23 hours 4 minutes — that’s roughly 1.04 orbits per day. Spent rocket bodies like DELTA 4 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.

DELTA 4 R/B 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 9.4°, 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. United States operates approximately 12,413 active satellites in total.