Orbital Congestion and Debris Risk for EO Fleets
How crowded are the orbits that Earth observation satellites use, and how does debris risk affect their operations and costs?
Chapter summary
Most EO satellites fly in sun-synchronous orbits between about 450 and 700 km, which they share with large constellations and with debris from past collisions and tests.
Key takeaways
- 1
Setcoin's space engine counts over 35,000 tracked objects in orbit, with the most crowded shell at 450–500 km holding over 10,000.
- 2
EO operators face more collision-avoidance manoeuvres, which cost propellant and imaging time; a collision could end a satellite and create debris.
- 3
Small EO satellites in lower orbits re-enter within a few years, which limits their contribution to long-term debris; larger satellites at higher altitudes must manoeuvre and be disposed of properly.
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