CZ-4B R/B

CZ-4B R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2021-05-19 from Jiuquan, China on the HY-2D launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 708 km and 932 km with an inclination of 66.1°. It travels at approximately 26,803 km/h (7.45 km/s), completing one full orbit every 101 minutes — that’s roughly 14.22 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~100–500 years. Spent rocket bodies like CZ-4B 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-4B R/B orbits at an average altitude of 820 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-4B R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 391 active payloads and 2,294 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include NOAA 20, ONEWEB-0179, ONEWEB-0455. With an inclination of 66.1°, CZ-4B R/B passes over latitudes between 66.1°N and 66.1°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 111 share a similar altitude band with CZ-4B R/B.