CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
1962-0011
DISCOVERER 38
DISCOVERER 38 (NORAD 247) came down while still attached to its host on 21 March 1962, after 22 days in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
247
International designator
1962-005A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
27 Feb 1962Vandenberg
Re-entered (UTC)
21 Mar 1962UTC calendar day
Time in orbit
22 days22 days
How it ended
Came down attached to its host
Latitude range
82.2°N to 82.2°SFinal inclination 82.2°
Mass
184 kg
Operator
NRO / CIA
Built by
LMSC
Bus
CORONA KH-4
Programme
CORONA M
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 82.2°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 82.2°N and 82.2°S.
Life in orbit
22 daysDISCOVERER 38’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/1962-0011
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1962-0011
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.