X Report 19 Dec 2024
SpaceX secures FAA license for Starship Flight 7 and plans to establish Starbase as a city. Firefly and ispace are set to share a Falcon 9 launch. Plus, new Starlink services launch in New Zealand.
COSMOS 539 DEB (27423)
COSPAR: 1972-102C | Alt Name: deb Kosmos-539
DECAYED
Image
Additional Sources
Launch Details
Launch Date
December 21, 1972
Launch Site
PLMSC
Launch Pad
LC132/2
Launch Vehicle
Kosmos 11K65M
Orbital Elements
NORAD ID
27423
International Designator
1972-102C
Decay Date
6/3/2002
Basic Satellite Info
Name
COSMOS 539 DEB
Alternative Name
deb Kosmos-539
Type
Debris
Status
Space Junk
Owner
KVR
Country
Russia
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Summary
Space debris, also known as space junk, encompasses all non-functional objects orbiting Earth such as defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from collisions or disintegrations. Over time, this debris can accumulate and create an increasingly hazardous environment in orbit. Even tiny fragments, traveling at extremely high velocities, can inflict significant damage on operational satellites and spacecraft. If left unmanaged, the density of debris raises the risk of catastrophic collisions and further fragmentation, compounding the problem and threatening the safety and sustainability of space activities.
Physical Characteristics
Length
0.3
Diameter
0.3
Span
0.3
Dry Mass
0
Launch Mass
0
Shape
Irr
Radar Cross Section
0.0472
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Technical Details
Payload
impact fragment
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
Unknown
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Unknown
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Satellite Articles
View All Posts »Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
The 300,000 Swerves Keeping Low Earth Orbit From Crashing
Starlink satellites fired their thrusters to dodge a collision roughly 300,000 times in 2025, about 822 times a day. Behind that number is a fragile, half-automated system of warnings, probabilities, and judgment calls that decides which close approaches are worth a maneuver and which are just noise.
Artemis II
Four astronauts, a patched-together heat shield, and a $50 billion question: whether NASA can still send humans beyond low Earth orbit. Tomorrow, we find out.
Space Brief 29 Jan 2025
Today's briefing covers the Space Force's plans for future launches, new initiatives in missile defense, and the latest on military and aerospace advancements.
SpaceX Lands $2.29B Space Force Contract, X Report 27 May 2026
SpaceX wins a $2.29 billion US Space Force contract for a military space data network, NASA adds 6 crew missions, and Starship V3 makes its first flight.
Space Brief 20 May 2025
Today's brief covers potential roles for commercial satellites in missile defense, SpaceX's new launch site plans at Vandenberg, and partnerships for space nuclear propulsion. Discover updates on military space projects and international defense agreements.
Starlink V2: 100x Faster, 5G Direct-to-Phone for Europe | KeepTrack X Report
SpaceX's Starlink V2 promises 100x data density for 5G direct-to-phone service. Deutsche Telekom targets 10 European countries by 2028.
The Afternoon a Blurry Smudge Turned Pluto Into a Double Planet
On 22 June 1978, an astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory looked at photographic plates that had been stamped 'image defective' and noticed a small bump on the side of Pluto. The bump was a moon, and finding it finally let astronomers weigh a planet that had fooled them for half a century.