CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
1964-0027
EXPLORER 9
EXPLORER 9 (NORAD 81) re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on 9 April 1964, after 3 years, 1 month in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
81
International designator
1961-004A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
16 Feb 1961Wallops
Re-entered (UTC)
9 Apr 1964UTC calendar day
Time in orbit
3 years, 1 month1,148 days
How it ended
Re-entered (natural decay)
Latitude range
38.8°N to 38.8°SFinal inclination 38.8°
Mass
6 kg
Operator
NASA LaRC
Built by
Schjeldahl
Bus
12' Sphere
Programme
Explorer AD
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 38.8°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 38.8°N and 38.8°S.
Life in orbit
3 years, 1 monthEXPLORER 9’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/1964-0027
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1964-0027
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.