CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
1972-0300
OPS 8888
OPS 8888 (NORAD 6172) came down while still attached to its host on 30 September 1972, after 29 days in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
6172
International designator
1972-068A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
1 Sep 1972Vandenberg
Re-entered (UTC)
30 Sep 1972UTC calendar day
Time in orbit
29 days29 days
How it ended
Came down attached to its host
Latitude range
69.8°N to 69.8°SFinal inclination 110.2°
Mass
2,400 kg
Operator
NRO / SAFSP
Built by
LMSC
Bus
KH-8
Programme
KH8C
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 110.2°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 69.8°N and 69.8°S.
Life in orbit
29 daysOPS 8888’s lowest and highest points above Earth, week by week, from its tracking history.
Also ended on 30 Sep 1972
3 entries
Entered in the Orbital Register™, founding volume, September 2026.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1972-0300
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1972-0300
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.