CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
2016-0061
JB-3 A
JB-3 A (NORAD 26481) re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on 11 March 2016 over the Indian Ocean, after 15 years, 6 months in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
26481
International designator
2000-050A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
China
Launched
1 Sep 2000Taiyuan
Re-entered (UTC)
11 Mar 2016UTC calendar dayAlso recorded as 10 Mar 2016
Time in orbit
15 years, 6 months5,670 days
How it ended
Re-entered (natural decay)
Latitude range
82.9°N to 82.9°SFinal inclination 97.1°
Mass
1,450 kg
Operator
PLA GAD
Built by
CAST
Bus
ZY
Programme
ZY2
Where it came down
Recorded positionRecorded position 30.0°S, 114.0°E. Its final orbit, inclined at 97.1°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 82.9°N and 82.9°S.
Life in orbit
15 years, 6 monthsJB-3 A’s lowest and highest points above Earth, week by week, from its tracking history.
From the same launch
2000-050
Entered in the Orbital Register™, founding volume, September 2026.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/2016-0061
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/2016-0061
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.