CZ-2C R/B

CZ-2C R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2025-11-19 from Jiuquan, China on the Shi Jian 30A-C launch. As a relatively recent addition to the catalogue, its orbital elements are well-characterised. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 408 km and 511 km with an inclination of 52.0°. It travels at approximately 27,501 km/h (7.64 km/s), completing one full orbit every 94 minutes — that’s roughly 15.36 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~1–3 years. Spent rocket bodies like CZ-2C 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-2C R/B orbits at an average altitude of 460 km in the core of Low Earth Orbit, the most heavily utilised altitude band. The balance of moderate drag (limiting debris accumulation) and short signal path (enabling low-latency links and high-resolution imaging) makes this regime the default for most commercial and government missions. Within ±50 km of CZ-2C R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 8,184 active payloads and 169 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1017. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 46.8% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 52.0°, CZ-2C R/B passes over latitudes between 52.0°N and 52.0°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 151 share a similar altitude band with CZ-2C R/B.