CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
1979-0515
EXPLORER 46 (MTS)
EXPLORER 46 (MTS) (NORAD 6142) came down while still attached to its host on 2 November 1979, after 7 years, 2 months in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
6142
International designator
1972-061A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
13 Aug 1972Wallops
Re-entered (UTC)
2 Nov 1979UTC calendar day
Time in orbit
7 years, 2 months2,637 days
How it ended
Came down attached to its host
Latitude range
37.7°N to 37.7°SFinal inclination 37.7°
Mass
168 kg
Operator
NASA LaRC
Built by
NASA LaRC
Bus
MTS
Programme
Explorer MTS
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 37.7°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 37.7°N and 37.7°S.
Life in orbit
7 years, 2 monthsEXPLORER 46 (MTS)’s lowest and highest points above Earth, week by week, from its tracking history.
Also ended on 2 Nov 1979
4 entries
Entered in the Orbital Register™, founding volume, September 2026.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1979-0515
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/1979-0515
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.