ISS DEB

ISS DEB is a tracked piece of space debris attributed to Russia (CIS), launched on 1998-11-20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on the 77KM No. 17501 launch. With over 28 years in orbit, it has far exceeded many satellites’ design lifetimes. It orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at altitudes between 387 km and 396 km with an inclination of 51.6°. It travels at approximately 27,639 km/h (7.68 km/s), completing one full orbit every 92 minutes — that’s roughly 15.59 orbits per day. Its near-circular orbit (eccentricity close to zero) means it maintains a very consistent altitude throughout each revolution. It is part of the Station constellation group. At its current altitude, the estimated orbital lifetime before atmospheric re-entry is months to ~1 year. As orbital debris, ISS DEB poses a potential collision risk to operational satellites in nearby orbits and is continuously monitored by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network and other tracking systems.

ISS DEB orbits at an average altitude of 392 km in the lower reaches of Low Earth Orbit, where atmospheric drag is significant and orbital lifetimes are measured in months to a few years. This is the busiest corridor in space — home to crewed spacecraft, rapid-revisit imaging satellites and the densest part of the Starlink constellation. Within ±50 km of ISS DEB’s average altitude, there are currently 1,307 active payloads and 81 tracked debris or rocket body fragments — notable neighbours include STARLINK-1008, STARLINK-1012, STARLINK-1020. This makes it one of the more crowded altitude bands, containing roughly 7.5% of all active satellites. With an inclination of 51.6°, ISS DEB passes over latitudes between 51.6°N and 51.6°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 1,286 active satellites in total, of which 33 share a similar altitude band with ISS DEB.