Re-Entry: Molniya 1-44 Communications Satellite
The Molniya 1K-44 Communications Satellite re-entered the atmosphere on October 23, 2017 after 38 years in orbit
Read more
Author: Patrick Blau
Re-Entry: Tancredo-1
The Brazilian Tancredo-1 PicoSatellite re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on October 18, 2017 after a free-flying mission of ten months, launching aboard the Tu-POD 3U CubeSat operated by Gauss Srl.
Read more
Re-Entry: Soyuz Block I Upper Stage from Progress MS-07 Launch
The third Stage of the Soyuz 2-1A rocket that launched the Progress MS-07 spacecraft on its path to the International Space Station re-entered the atmosphere on Monday, October 16, 2017 over the Arabian Peninsula
Read more
Re-Entry: GSLV Mk. II Rocket Stage
The third stage of an Indian Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. II rocket re-entered the atmosphere on October 10, 2017 after spending just over five months spiraling down from a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.
Read more
Re-Entry: Flock 2E’-7
Planet’s Flock 2E’-7 Earth-imaging satellite re-entered the atmosphere on October 3, 2017 – decaying 17 months after being released from the International Space Station to join Planet’s orbiting constellation of Doves that image the entire Earth at least once per day.
Read more
Re-Entry: Iridium 30
Iridium 30 re-entered the atmosphere on September 28, 2017 after over 20 years in orbit as part of the original Iridium Communications Constellation
Read more
Re-Entry: Nodes 2 CubeSat
Nodes 2, a 1.5U CubeSat part of a two-satellite in-space communications demonstration project, re-entered the atmosphere on September 23, 2017 after 495 days in orbit following a May 2016 release from the International Space Station.
Read more
Re-Entry: Iridium 77
Iridium 77 re-entered the atmosphere on September 22, 2017 after over 19 years in orbit as part of the original Iridium Communications Constellation
Read more
Re-Entry: Nodes 1 CubeSat
Nodes 1, a 1.5U CubeSat part of a two-satellite in-space communications demonstration project, re-entered the atmosphere on September 19, 2017 after 491 in orbit following a May 2016 release from the International Space Station.
Read more
Re-Entry: Soyuz FG Upper Stage from Soyuz MS-06 Launch
The third stage of the Soyuz Rocket that helped boost the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft into orbit re-entered the atmosphere four days after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Read more
Re-Entry: Falcon 9 Second Stage
A Falcon 9 second stage re-entered the atmosphere on September 16, 2017 after spending 16 months slowly spiraling down toward the atmosphere from a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.
Read more
Re-Entry: Briz-M Auxiliary Propellant Tank
A Briz-M propellant tank re-entered the atmosphere on September 15, 2017 after three and a half years in orbit
Read more
Re-Entry: TuPOD
The TuPOD free-flying CubeSat deployer re-entered the atmosphere on September 8, 2017 after close to nine months in orbit following deployment from the International Space Station.
Read more
Re-Entry: Start-1 Upper Stage
The upper stage of a Russian Start-1 booster re-entered the atmosphere on September 3rd, 2017 – spending over a decade in orbit after dispatching the EROS A Earth-observation spacecraft in 2006.
Read more
Re-Entry: InflateSail
The InflateSail CubeSat successfully concluded its mission with a speedy orbital decay, culminating with atmospheric entry on September 3, 2017
Read more
Re-Entry: Minotaur IV Rocket Body
The fourth stage of a modified Minotaur IV rocket re-entered the atmosphere on September 1st, 2017 after only six days
Read more
More Trouble in GEO: Indonesia’s Telkom 1 Satellite Sheds Debris, Starts Drifting
More trouble appears to be brewing in Geostationary Orbit as reports emerged this week of a satellite breaking apart in prime orbital real estate – the second such incident in as many months, adding to an already significant population of debris and zombie satellites
Read more
Re-Entry: Centaur Rocket Stage from MMS Launch
The Centaur upper stage that sent four magnetospheric probes into an elliptical orbit around Earth re-entered the atmosphere on August 28, 2017 after slowly decaying from orbit over the course of two and a half years.
Read more
Re-Entry: Long March 3B Upper Stage from Beidou M3/M4 Launch
A Long March 3B rocket stage re-entered the atmosphere on August 17, 2017 after over five years in orbit, making a slow decay from a highly elliptical Medium Earth Transfer Orbit.
Read more
Re-Entry: TechEdSat-5
TechEdSat-5 – a drag brake CubeSat – re-entered the atmosphere on July 29, 2017 after 144 days in orbit
Read more
Re-Entry: Flock 2E-8
Planet’s Flock 2E-8 Earth-imaging satellite re-entered the atmosphere on July 25, 2017 – decaying 14 months after being released from the International Space Station to join Planet’s orbiting constellation of Doves that image the entire Earth at least once per day.
Read more
Re-Entry: Long March 3B Rocket Body from Tiantong-1 Launch
A Long March 3B rocket stage re-entered the atmosphere on July 21, 2017 after close to a year in orbit, making a slow decay from a highly elliptical Geostationary Transfer Orbit. The Long March 3B rocket launched the Tiantong 1-1 mobile communications satellite operating in the S- and UHF communications bands, likely with military use.
Read more
Re-Entry: Long March 3A Rocket Body from first Beidou MEO Launch
A Long March 3A rocket stage re-entered the atmosphere on July 18, 2017 after over one decade in orbit, making a very slow decay from a Medium Earth Transfer Orbit.
Read more
Re-Entry: Lemur-2 DRMUZZ
The Lemur-2 DRMUZZ Satellite, part of Spire Global’s CubeSat Constellation, re-entered the atmosphere on June 25, 2017 after one year in orbit collecting global ship-tracking data and measuring atmospheric parameters.
Read more
Re-Entry: Soyuz Block I Upper Stage from Progress MS-06 Launch
The third Stage of the Soyuz 2-1A rocket that launched the Progress MS-06 spacecraft on its path to the International Space Station re-entered the atmosphere on Saturday, June 17, 2017
Read more
Re-Entry: BEVO 2
The BEVO 2 CubeSat from Texas A&M re-entered the atmosphere in June 2017 after close to a year and a half years in orbit following deployment from the AggieSat4 micro satellite which itself was deployed from the International Space Station in January 2016.
Read more
Re-Entry: Block-L Upper Stage
A spent rocket body from a 1974 Molniya launch re-entered the atmosphere on May 31, 2017 after over four decades in orbit.
Read more
Re-Entry: Long March 4B Rocket Body
A spent Long March 4B rocket stage re-entered the atmosphere on May 27, 2017 over the Canadian territory after nearly three years in orbit following a dual-payload launch in 2014.
Read more
Fiery Re-Entry of Chinese Rocket Stage Captured on Video
The re-entry of the upper stage of China’s Long March 7 rocket that recently launched the country’s first orbital logistics mission was captured by dozens of observers in the Uzbek Capital of Tashkent.
Read more
Re-Entry: Delta I Rocket Body
The Star 37D Upper Stage of the Delta 2913 launch with the COS-B Cosmic Gamma-Ray satellite re-entered the atmosphere on May 20, 2017 after over four decades in orbit.
Read more