Re-Entry: RXTE
The Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE or XTE) spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere on April 30, 2018 after over 22 years in orbit
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Re-Entry
Re-Entry: Iridium 13
Iridium 13 re-entered the atmosphere on April 29, 2018 after over 20 years in orbit as part of the original Iridium Communications Constellation
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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.
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Re-Entry: STARE B
The STARE B (Horus) satellite, launched on a Minotaur rocket as part of the ORS-3 cluster mission, re-entered on April 26, 2018 after four and a half years in orbit.
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Re-Entry: EXOS B
The Japanese EXOS-B (Jikiken) satellite re-entered the atmosphere on April 22, 2018 after nearly four decades in orbit following liftoff in September 1978 atop an Mu-3H launch vehicle.
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Re-Entry: Iridium 94
Iridium 94 re-entered the atmosphere on April 18, 2018 after over 16 years in orbit as part of the original Iridium Communications Constellation
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Re-Entry: Flock 2E’-1
Planet’s Flock 2E’-1 Earth-imaging satellite re-entered the atmosphere on April 15, 2018 – decaying 23 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.
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Re-Entry: Lemur-2 TRUTNA
The Lemur-2 TRUTNA Satellite, part of Spire Global’s CubeSat Constellation, re-entered the atmosphere on April 15, 2018 after over one year in orbit collecting global ship-tracking data and measuring atmospheric parameters.
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Re-Entry: Iridium 19
Iridium 19 re-entered the atmosphere on April 7, 2018 after over 20 years in orbit as part of the original Iridium Communications Constellation, a low-orbiting satellite system for global communications including voice and point-to-point data services via 66 active satellites in six orbital planes.
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Re-Entry: Flock 2E-7
Planet’s Flock 2E-7 Earth-imaging satellite re-entered the atmosphere on April 6, 2018 – decaying 22 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.
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Re-Entry: Three Doves in 24 Hours
Three CubeSat Doves belonging to Planet Lab’s Flock of satellites re-entered the atmosphere in a single calendar day on April 5, 2018 after each spent nearly two years in orbit as part of the company’s Earth-imaging constellation.
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Re-Entry: PSLV Rocket Body
A six-year old upper stage from India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle re-entered the atmosphere on April 3, 2018 after a slow decline from a Sun Synchronous Orbit.
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Re-Entry: Ariane 5 Sylda Adapter
A discarded Ariane 5 Sylda payload adapter placed into orbit in 2007 re-entered the atmosphere on April 3, 2018 after
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Abandoned Chinese Space Laboratory Re-Enters Harmlessly over Pacific Ocean
China’s abandoned Tiangong-1 space station met its fiery end in the early hours of Monday when re-entering Earth’s atmosphere after 2,376 days in orbit, serving as a stepping stone toward a large modular Space Station China plans to deploy in 2020.
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Re-Entry: Atlantis (QB50 CubeSat)
The Atlantis CubeSat, part of the QB50 CubeSat initiative, re-entered the atmosphere on March 28, 2018 after less than one year in Low Earth Orbit, becoming the second of the QB50 series to decay from orbit after collecting data from the seldom-measured lower thermosphere.
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Re-Entry: Iridium 23
Iridium 23 re-entered the atmosphere on March 28, 2018 after over 20 years in orbit as part of the original Iridium Communications Constellation, a low-orbiting satellite system for global communications including voice and point-to-point data services via 66 active satellites in six orbital planes.
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Soyuz Rocket Stage Burns Up over the Mediterranean
The uncontrolled, destructive re-entry of a Soyuz rocket stage that helped boost a three-man crew into orbit earlier this week was seen from the Mediterranean in the early hours of Sunday per reports and videos coming from the French Riviera and Central Italy
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Rocket Lab’s Humanity Star Re-Enters after Brief Tenure in Orbit
Rocket Lab’s “Humanity Star” ended a short-lived stint in orbit as a shooting star on Thursday, re-entering Earth’s atmosphere just two months after being placed into orbit as a public awareness project by the U.S./New Zealand launch services provider.
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Re-Entry: Block-ML from 2001 Molniya Launch Re-Enters after Skipping
A Block-ML upper stage that had helped send a Molniya-3K dual-use communications satellite into orbit re-entered the atmosphere on March 17, 2018 after bouncing off the atmosphere in July 2016.
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Re-Entry: Flock 2E’-9
Planet’s Flock 2E’-9 Earth-imaging satellite re-entered the atmosphere on March 12, 2018 – decaying 22 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.
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Re-Entry: AggieSat-4
The 50-Kilogram AggieSat-4 technology demonstration satellite of Texas A&M re-entered the atmosphere on March 12, 2018 after spending over two years in orbit following its release from the International Space Station.
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Re-Entry: Flock 2E’-11
Planet’s Flock 2E-11′ Earth-imaging satellite re-entered the atmosphere on March 11, 2018 – decaying 21 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.
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Re-Entry: Flock 2E-4
Planet’s Flock 2E-4 Earth-imaging satellite re-entered the atmosphere on March 11, 2018 – decaying 22 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.
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Re-Entry: Long March 3B Upper Stage from AlcomSat-1 Launch
A Long March 3B rocket stage re-entered the atmosphere on March 10, 2018 after exactly three months in orbit, decaying from a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.
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Re-Entry: Columbia Sat (QB50)
The Columbia Sat CubeSat, part of the QB50 CubeSat initiative, re-entered the atmosphere on March 7, 2018 after less than one year in Low Earth Orbit, becoming the first of the QB50 series to decay from orbit after collecting data from the seldom-measured lower thermosphere.
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Re-Entry: Flock 2E-11
Planet’s Flock 2E-11 Earth-imaging satellite re-entered the atmosphere on March 4, 2018 – decaying 20 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.
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Re-Entry: Flock 2E-12
Planet’s Flock 2E-12 Earth-imaging satellite re-entered the atmosphere on March 3, 2018 – decaying 20 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.
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Re-Entry: STARS-C
Japan’s STARS-C technology demonstration CubeSat re-entered the atmosphere on March 2, 2018 after nearly 15 months in orbit following deployment from the International Space Station.
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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 March 1, 2018 after spending over two and a half years spiraling down from a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.
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Re-Entry: Flock 2E’-12
Planet’s Flock 2E’-12 Earth-imaging satellite re-entered the atmosphere on February 28, 2018 – decaying 20 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.
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