Largest piece of orbital debris (dimensions)

In terms of physical dimensions, the largest piece of orbital debris is the IMAGE research satellite, launched on 25 March 2000 and lost on 18 December 2005. The main body of the IMAGE satellite measures 2.25 m (7 ft 4 in) along its longest axis and has a mass of 494 kg (1,089 lb). Extending from the body of the satellite, however, are two 10-m-long (32 ft 9 in) open-truss axial antennae and four 250-m-long (820 ft) tether-like radial antennae. This means that for the purposes of collision avoidance, IMAGE is 502-m (1,646 ft) wide.

The inert IMAGE satellite is located in a very high and elliptical polar orbit with a perigee (closest point) of 620 km (above the ISS and the most congested parts of Low Earth Orbit) and an apogee of 46,000 km. This means that it passes through the belt of geosynchronous satellites located at 35,786 km, but these are so far spread out that it represents no significant threat.