CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
1972-0264
ATLAS CENTAUR R/B(1)
ATLAS CENTAUR R/B(1) (NORAD 5878) re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on 18 August 1972, after 5 months in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
5878
International designator
1972-012C
Object type
Rocket body
Country
United States
Launched
3 Mar 1972Cape Canaveral
Re-entered (UTC)
18 Aug 1972UTC calendar day
Time in orbit
5 months168 days
How it ended
Re-entered (natural decay)
Latitude range
31.3°N to 31.3°SFinal inclination 31.3°
Mass
2,000 kg
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 31.3°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 31.3°N and 31.3°S.
Life in orbit
5 monthsATLAS CENTAUR R/B(1)’s lowest and highest points above Earth, week by week, from its tracking history.
Also ended on 18 Aug 1972
2 entries
Entered in the Orbital Register™, founding volume, September 2026.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1972-0264
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1972-0264
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.