CZ-12 R/B

CZ-12 R/B is a spent rocket body associated with China, launched on 2025-12-11 from Wenchang, China on the WHDW 16 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 714 km and 795 km with an inclination of 50.0°. It travels at approximately 26,925 km/h (7.48 km/s), completing one full orbit every 100 minutes — that’s roughly 14.41 orbits per day. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is ~25–100 years. Spent rocket bodies like CZ-12 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-12 R/B orbits at an average altitude of 755 km in the mid-LEO band, where atmospheric drag is minimal but radiation exposure remains manageable. Objects at this altitude persist for decades to centuries, making debris mitigation critical. This regime is popular for remote sensing constellations and scientific instruments that need stable, long-duration orbits. Within ±50 km of CZ-12 R/B’s average altitude, there are currently 355 active payloads and 2,004 tracked debris or rocket body fragments. With an inclination of 50.0°, CZ-12 R/B passes over latitudes between 50.0°N and 50.0°S, covering the tropical and temperate zones where most of the world’s population resides. Low-to-mid inclination orbits are efficient to reach from equatorial and mid-latitude launch sites. China operates approximately 1,221 active satellites in total, of which 51 share a similar altitude band with CZ-12 R/B.