COSMOS 2251 DEB, 37978

Orbit data source: Space-Track

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 37978 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.

Not visible in the next 10 days
Identifier
37978, 1993-036BQD
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, 0.1 m
Radar Cross Section
Small (<0.1 m²)

Expand to show TLE details & history
Last TLE update: 1 month ago

TLE from 1 month ago
0 COSMOS 2251 DEB
1 37978U 93036BQD 25323.21450348  .00391170  00000-0  43959-2 0  9990
2 37978  74.0238 142.2198 0014899 140.9849 219.2448 15.61137081 80329
Epoch: 2025-11-19T05:08Z
TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2025-11-19T05:08:53.100Z)
Latitude
-0.00002°
Longitude
6.5091°
Altitude
394.942 km
Speed
7.669 km/s
True Right ascension
09h 28m 52s
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
05:23:54
Azimuth
Unknown
Elevation
Unknown
Doppler factor
Unknown
Orbital elements
Apogee altitude
391.932 km
Perigee altitude
371.788 km
Semi-major axis
6,759.997 km
Eccentricity
0.00149
Inclination
74.0238°
RAAN
142.2198°
Arg. of periapsis
140.9849°
True anomaly
219.13695°
Mean anomaly
219.2448°
Eccentric anomaly
219.19086°
Mean motion
3.90502 °/min
Orbital period
92.19 mins
BSTAR
0.0043959
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Computing Atmospheric mass density...

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