COSMOS 2251 DEB, 33942

Orbit data source: Space-Track

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 33942 is space debris in LEO originally from a launch on Wed, 16 Jun 1993 UTC launched from the Plesetsk Missile And Space Complex (PKMTR). The debris from Iridium 33, an American commercial communications satellite, has been tracked extensively since its accidental collision with the defunct Russian satellite Cosmos 2251 in 2009. This event, occurring at high speed in low Earth orbit (LEO), generated thousands of pieces of space debris, significantly increasing the risk of further collisions. The Iridium 33 debris cloud has impacted space traffic management and orbital debris mitigation strategies, making it a subject of ongoing study in space situational awareness.

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Identifier
33942, 1993-036EX
Orbit
LEO
Country
Flag of CISCIS
Related business
Manufacturer
Unknown
Mission
Spacecraft
Bus & Motor
Unknown
Mass
Unknown
Launch date (UTC)
1993-06-16 (33 years ago)
Launch vehicle
Unknown
Launch site
Plesetsk Missile And Space Complex (PKMTR)
Object type
Payload
Rocket body
Debris
Shape & HBR
Unknown shape, 0.3 m
Radar Cross Section
Medium (>0.1 m² and <1 m²)

Expand to show TLE details & history
Last TLE update: 5 hours ago

TLE from 5 hours ago
0 COSMOS 2251 DEB
1 33942U 93036EX  26034.12254955  .00000738  00000-0  25161-3 0  9996
2 33942  74.0360 178.3508 0021429 254.1257 219.8757 14.38075792888873
Epoch: 2026-02-03T02:56Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-02-03T02:56:28.281Z)
Latitude
61.67043°
Longitude
149.06776°
Altitude
786.825 km
Speed
7.46 km/s
True Right ascension
21h 45m 58s
True Declination
61° 31' 38"
Sunlit
Object was in daylight at epoch
Visualization orbit readout
Latitude
Unknown
Longitude
Unknown
Altitude
Unknown
Speed
Unknown
Apparent Right ascension
Unknown
Apparent Declination
Unknown
Sunlit
N/A
Visualization observer readout
Local Sidereal Time
10:03:07
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
777.786 km
Perigee altitude
747.183 km
Semi-major axis
7,140.622 km
Eccentricity
0.00214
Inclination
74.036°
RAAN
178.3508°
Arg. of periapsis
254.1257°
True anomaly
219.71859°
Mean anomaly
219.8757°
Eccentric anomaly
219.79711°
Mean motion
3.59699 °/min
Orbital period
100.08 mins
BSTAR
0.00025161
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