YZ-1 R/B

YZ-1 R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2016-02-01 from Xichang, China on the Beidou M3-S launch. After 10 years in orbit, it continues to be tracked by global surveillance networks. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 19,934 km and 29,029 km with an inclination of 56.3°. It travels at approximately 12,940 km/h (3.59 km/s), completing one full orbit every 14 hours 59 minutes — that’s roughly 1.60 orbits per day. Its orbital eccentricity of 0.1474 gives it a noticeably elliptical path, with significant altitude variation between perigee and apogee. Spent rocket bodies like YZ-1 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.

YZ-1 R/B orbits at an average altitude of 24,482 km in Medium Earth Orbit, the region between LEO and GEO (2,000–35,786 km). MEO’s higher altitude gives each satellite a much larger ground footprint than LEO, meaning fewer spacecraft are needed for global coverage — but signal latency is higher and radiation from the Van Allen belts is a significant design constraint. With an inclination of 56.3°, YZ-1 R/B passes over latitudes between 56.3°N and 56.3°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.