CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
2020-0091
OPS 7940
OPS 7940 (NORAD 9270) re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on 18 April 2020 over the South Atlantic Ocean, after 43 years, 8 months in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
9270
International designator
1976-080A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
6 Aug 1976Vandenberg
Re-entered (UTC)
18 Apr 2020Recorded time 13:41 UTC
Time in orbit
43 years, 8 months15,961 days
How it ended
Re-entered (natural decay)
Latitude range
61.8°N to 61.8°SFinal inclination 61.8°
Mass
800 kg
Operator
NRO / SAFSP
Built by
Hughes
Bus
SDS
Programme
SDS
Where it came down
Recorded positionRecorded position 46.0°S, 52.0°W at 13:41 UTC. Its final orbit, inclined at 61.8°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 61.8°N and 61.8°S.
Life in orbit
43 years, 8 monthsOPS 7940’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/2020-0091
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/2020-0091
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.