CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
1973-0023
OPS 3978
OPS 3978 (NORAD 6321) came down while still attached to its host on 23 January 1973, after 1 month in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
6321
International designator
1972-103A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
21 Dec 1972Vandenberg
Re-entered (UTC)
23 Jan 1973UTC calendar day
Time in orbit
1 month33 days
How it ended
Came down attached to its host
Latitude range
69.6°N to 69.6°SFinal inclination 110.4°
Mass
2,400 kg
Operator
NRO / SAFSP
Built by
LMSC
Bus
KH-8
Programme
KH8D
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 110.4°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 69.6°N and 69.6°S.
Life in orbit
1 monthOPS 3978’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/1973-0023
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1973-0023
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.