CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
2005-0203
ATLAS CENTAUR R/B
ATLAS CENTAUR R/B (NORAD 12908) re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on 5 December 2005, after 27 years, 9 months in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
12908
International designator
1978-016C
Object type
Rocket body
Country
United States
Launched
9 Feb 1978Cape Canaveral
Re-entered (UTC)
5 Dec 2005UTC calendar day
Time in orbit
27 years, 9 months10,161 days
How it ended
Re-entered (natural decay)
Latitude range
26.1°N to 26.1°SFinal inclination 26.1°
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 26.1°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 26.1°N and 26.1°S.
Life in orbit
27 years, 9 monthsATLAS CENTAUR R/B’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/2005-0203
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/2005-0203
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.