SL-24 R/B

SL-24 R/B is a spent rocket body associated with Russia (CIS), launched on 2015-03-25 from OREN on the Kompsat-3A launch. After 11 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 524 km and 1,419 km with an inclination of 97.3°. It travels at approximately 26,525 km/h (7.37 km/s), completing one full orbit every 105 minutes — that’s roughly 13.78 orbits per day. Its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit means it passes over any given point on Earth at approximately the same local solar time, ideal for consistent Earth observation lighting conditions. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 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 972 km in a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a specialised subset of LEO where the orbital plane precesses to maintain a constant angle relative to the Sun. This provides consistent lighting conditions on every pass — essential for Earth observation, weather monitoring and environmental science. Within ±50 km of SL-24 R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 314 active payloads and 987 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 97.3°, SL-24 R/B passes over latitudes between 97.3°N and 97.3°S, providing near-global coverage including the polar regions. Polar and near-polar orbits are used for reconnaissance, weather monitoring and Earth-observation missions that need to image every part of the planet. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 163 share a similar altitude band with SL-24 R/B.