CERTIFICATE OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Entry no.
2023-0514
PHOTON-02
PHOTON-02 (NORAD 47972) came down while still attached to its host on 14 March 2023, after 1 year, 11 months in orbit.
Official date
NORAD number
47972
International designator
2021-023H
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
22 Mar 2021Rocket Lab Launch Complex
Re-entered (UTC)
14 Mar 2023Recorded time 04:21 UTC
Time in orbit
1 year, 11 months722 days
How it ended
Came down attached to its host
Latitude range
45.0°N to 45.0°SFinal inclination 45.0°
Mass
20 kg
Operator
Built by
Rocket Lab
Bus
Photon
Programme
Photon
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 45.0°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 45.0°N and 45.0°S.
Life in orbit
1 year, 11 monthsPHOTON-02’s lowest and highest points above Earth, week by week, from its tracking history.
Also ended on 14 Mar 2023
23 entriesFrom the same launch
2021-023
Entered in the Orbital Register™, founding volume, September 2026.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/2023-0514
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.
Record version 1 · No corrections · orbitalradar.com/register/2023-0514
© 2026 Orbital Radar. Cite this entry by its number; the register itself may not be copied.