COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38479

Orbit data source: Space-Track

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38479 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

38479, 1993-036BTP

Orbit

LEO

Country

CIS

Related business

Russian Space Forces (RU)

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)

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Last TLE update: 1 week ago

TLE from 1 week ago

0 COSMOS 2251 DEB
1 38479U 93036BTP 26056.74984006  .00001799  00000-0  56631-3 0  9999
2 38479  74.0058  45.6696 0080697 141.2757  33.2841 14.39265213657667

Epoch: 2026-02-25T17:59Z

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-02-25T17:59:46.181Z)

Latitude

4.65495°

Longitude

158.78649°

Altitude

715.03 km

Speed

7.524 km/s

True Right ascension

14h 57m 21s

True Declination

4° 37' 37"

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

19:23:18

Azimuth

Unknown

Elevation

Unknown

Doppler factor

Unknown

Orbital elements

Apogee altitude

816.141 km

Perigee altitude

700.959 km

Semi-major axis

7,136.687 km

Eccentricity

0.00807

Inclination

74.0058°

RAAN

45.6696°

Arg. of periapsis

141.2757°

True anomaly

33.79588°

Mean anomaly

33.2841°

Eccentric anomaly

33.53956°

Mean motion

3.59996 °/min

Orbital period

100 mins

BSTAR

0.00056631

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Other satellites on launch #36 in the year 1993 (1993-06-16 UTC)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 47075 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 34443 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 34959 (Decayed)

SL-8 DEB, 25028

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 34920 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 36639 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 37542 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38218 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 35776 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 34322 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 35461 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 37127 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38200 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 37517 (Decayed)

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 34548 (Decayed)

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COSMOS 2251 DEB Visibility forecast

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Span	Click to sort rows by Start time (UTC) header in descending order	Start Az.	Max El. time (UTC)	Max El. Az.	Max El.	End time (UTC)	End Az.
9 mins	2026-03-04 22:47:08.607Z	181.58° SSW	2026-03-04 22:52:08.607Z	107.633° ESE	39.604°	2026-03-04 22:56:08.607Z	30.95° NE
5 mins	2026-03-05 00:32:08.607Z	270.682° WNW	2026-03-05 00:34:08.607Z	297.341° NW	17.054°	2026-03-05 00:37:08.607Z	337.623° N
8 mins	2026-03-05 09:16:08.607Z	340.717° N	2026-03-05 09:19:08.607Z	336.203° NNW	44.123°	2026-03-05 09:24:08.607Z	163.113° S

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Co-orbital & Co-planar RSOs

Thresholds — Semi-major Axis: ±100 km, RAAN: ±3°, Inclination: ±5°
TCA is derived from TLE conjunctions

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CAUTION: Conjunctions in this section are generated from low-fidelity TLE screenings

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Check out COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38479 on other resources

View COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38479 on Heavens-Above

View COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38479 on Keep Track

View COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38479 on Celestrak

View COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38479 on Gunter's Space Page

Satcat and Kayhan Space are not affiliated with NASA, Celestrak, Heavens-Above, Keep Track, or Gunter's Space Page.

COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38479

Orbit data source: Space-Track

Expand to show TLE details & historyLast TLE update: 1 week ago

TLE from 1 week ago

TLE epoch observation values (Epoch: 2026-02-25T17:59:46.181Z)

Visualization orbit readout

Visualization observer readout

Orbital elements

Other satellites on launch #36 in the year 1993 (1993-06-16 UTC)

COSMOS 2251 DEB Visibility forecast

Co-orbital & Co-planar RSOs

Check out COSMOS 2251 DEB, 38479 on other resources

Documentation

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