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: 6 hours ago

TLE from 6 hours ago
0 COSMOS 2251 DEB
1 33942U 93036EX  26120.17879686  .00000511  00000-0  17661-3 0  9996
2 33942  74.0383  19.8262 0019517  73.8140  78.4789 14.38184534901242
Epoch: 2026-04-30T04:17Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-04-30T04:17:28.048Z)
Latitude
26.38649°
Longitude
-90.78371°
Altitude
764.646 km
Speed
7.476 km/s
True Right ascension
12h 46m 50s
True Declination
26° 14' 60"
Sunlit
Object was in full shadow 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
17:25:29
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
776.06 km
Perigee altitude
748.189 km
Semi-major axis
7,140.261 km
Eccentricity
0.00195
Inclination
74.0383°
RAAN
19.8262°
Arg. of periapsis
73.814°
True anomaly
78.69815°
Mean anomaly
78.4789°
Eccentric anomaly
78.58851°
Mean motion
3.59726 °/min
Orbital period
100.08 mins
BSTAR
0.00017661
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