COSMOS 2251 DEB, 37973

Orbit data source: Space-Track

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 37973 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
37973, 1993-036BPY
Orbit
LEO
Country
Flag of CISCIS
Related business
Manufacturer
Unknown
Mission
Spacecraft
Bus & Motor
Unknown
Mass
Unknown
Launch date (UTC)
1993-06-16 (32 years ago)
Launch vehicle
Unknown
Launch site
Plesetsk Missile And Space Complex (PKMTR)
Object type
Payload
Rocket body
Debris
Shape & HBR
Unknown shape, 0.1 m
Radar Cross Section
Small (<0.1 m²)

Expand to show TLE details & history
Last TLE update: 3 months ago

TLE from 3 months ago
0 COSMOS 2251 DEB
1 37973U 93036BPY 25220.24802912  .00001525  00000-0  47614-3 0  9997
2 37973  74.0352 177.9925 0040253 286.2739  73.3990 14.41200860631662
Epoch: 2025-08-08T05:57Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2025-08-08T05:57:09.715Z)
Latitude
-0.00009°
Longitude
131.70118°
Altitude
749.053 km
Speed
7.485 km/s
True Right ascension
11h 51m 58s
True Declination
0° 00' 00"
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
05:30:43
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
780.853 km
Perigee altitude
723.45 km
Semi-major axis
7,130.289 km
Eccentricity
0.00403
Inclination
74.0352°
RAAN
177.9925°
Arg. of periapsis
286.2739°
True anomaly
73.84167°
Mean anomaly
73.399°
Eccentric anomaly
73.62027°
Mean motion
3.60481 °/min
Orbital period
99.87 mins
BSTAR
0.00047614

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