Re-Entry: Briz-M Auxiliary Propellant Tank

A Briz-M propellant tank re-entered the atmosphere on April 29, 2018 after three and a half years in orbit, making a slow decay from an elliptical orbit where it arrived as part of a mission to Geostationary Transfer Orbit. The Proton-M / Briz-M rocket launched the Yamal 401 communications satellite under a commercial mission architecture handled by International Launch Services.

The Briz-M APT carries a total of 14,600 Kilograms of self-igniting propellants, typically consumed during the first three burns of the upper stage before the dead weight of the empty tank is dropped and Briz-M continues using its main tanks.

NORAD ID: 40347
Origin: CIS (Russia)
Object: Briz-M Debris (Tank)
Type: Briz-M Auxiliary Propellant Tank
Inclination: 46.7°
Launched: December 15, 2014 – 00:16 UTC
Launch Vehicle: Proton-M/Briz-M
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

Re-Entry Prediction: April 29, 2018 – 03:03 UTC ±1 Min.
Re-Entry Zone: Mongolia/China

Re-Entry Zone