PSLV R/B

PSLV R/B is a spent rocket body associated with India, launched on 2022-02-14 from SRI on the RISAT-1A launch. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 334 km and 345 km with an inclination of 97.4°. It travels at approximately 27,746 km/h (7.71 km/s), completing one full orbit every 91 minutes — that’s roughly 15.77 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. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. Spent rocket bodies like PSLV 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.

PSLV R/B orbits at an average altitude of 340 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 PSLV R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 1,134 active payloads and 37 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1036, STARLINK-1043, STARLINK-1048. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 6.5% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 97.4°, PSLV R/B passes over latitudes between 97.4°N and 97.4°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. India operates approximately 108 active satellites in total, of which 3 share a similar altitude band with PSLV R/B.