FREGAT R/B

FREGAT R/B is a spent rocket body associated with Russia (CIS), launched on 2021-12-05 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou on the GalileoSat-27/28 launch. It orbits in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at altitudes between 23,515 km and 23,572 km with an inclination of 57.2°. It travels at approximately 13,141 km/h (3.65 km/s), completing one full orbit every 14 hours 19 minutes — that’s roughly 1.68 orbits per day. Spent rocket bodies like FREGAT 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.

FREGAT R/B orbits at an average altitude of 23,544 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 57.2°, FREGAT R/B passes over latitudes between 57.2°N and 57.2°S, covering most populated land masses in both hemispheres. This mid-inclination band balances global coverage with efficient launch energy requirements. Russia (CIS) operates approximately 1,287 active satellites in total.