CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
1979-0322
OPS 7040
OPS 7040 (NORAD 973) came down while still attached to its host on 13 July 1979, after 14 years, 5 months in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
973
International designator
1965-003A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
19 Jan 1965Vandenberg
Re-entered (UTC)
13 Jul 1979UTC calendar day
Time in orbit
14 years, 5 months5,288 days
How it ended
Came down attached to its host
Latitude range
81.3°N to 81.3°SFinal inclination 98.7°
Mass
70 kg
Operator
NRO / SAFSP
Built by
RCA/East Windsor
Bus
P35
Programme
P35
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 98.7°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 81.3°N and 81.3°S.
Life in orbit
14 years, 5 monthsOPS 7040’s lowest and highest points above Earth, week by week, from its tracking history.
Also ended on 13 Jul 1979
4 entries
Entered in the Orbital Register™, founding volume, September 2026.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1979-0322
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1979-0322
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.