CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
1960-0020
DISCOVERER 17
DISCOVERER 17 (NORAD 61) came down while still attached to its host on 29 December 1960, after 1 month in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
61
International designator
1960-015A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
12 Nov 1960Vandenberg
Re-entered (UTC)
29 Dec 1960UTC calendar day
Time in orbit
1 month47 days
How it ended
Came down attached to its host
Latitude range
81.9°N to 81.9°SFinal inclination 81.9°
Mass
127 kg
Operator
USAF BMD / CIA
Built by
LMSD/Sunnyvale
Bus
CORONA
Programme
CORONA Early
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 81.9°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 81.9°N and 81.9°S.
Life in orbit
1 monthDISCOVERER 17’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/1960-0020
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1960-0020
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.