CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
1959-0007
EXPLORER 4
EXPLORER 4 (NORAD 9) came down while still attached to its host on 23 October 1959, after 1 year, 2 months in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
9
International designator
1958-005A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
26 Jul 1958Cape Canaveral
Re-entered (UTC)
23 Oct 1959UTC calendar day
Time in orbit
1 year, 2 months454 days
How it ended
Came down attached to its host
Latitude range
50.3°N to 50.3°SFinal inclination 50.3°
Mass
12 kg
Operator
ABMA / JPL
Built by
JPL
Bus
Explorer
Programme
Explorer ABMA
Where it came down
Latitude band its orbit allowedExact position not recorded
No position was recorded for this re-entry. Its final orbit, inclined at 50.3°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 50.3°N and 50.3°S.
Life in orbit
1 year, 2 monthsEXPLORER 4’s lowest and highest points above Earth, week by week, from its tracking history.
Entered in the Orbital Register™, founding volume, September 2026.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1959-0007
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1959-0007
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.