RECORD OF RE-ENTRYOrbital Register™ · by Orbital Radar™
Orbital Register seal
Entry number
Certificate pending

IRIDIUM 51

IRIDIUM 51 (NORAD 25262) re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on 14 March 2026 over Asia, after 27 years, 11 months in orbit.

Official date
NORAD number
25262
International designator
1998-018A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
United States
Launched
25 Mar 1998Taiyuan
Re-entered (UTC)
14 Mar 2026Recorded time 10:57 UTC
Time in orbit
27 years, 11 months10,216 days
How it ended
Re-entered (natural decay)
Latitude range
86.3°N to 86.3°SFinal inclination 86.3°
Mass
667 kg
Operator
Iridium
Built by
Motorola
Bus
LM700
Programme
Iridium

Where it came down

Recorded position

Recorded position 36.0°N, 119.0°E at 10:57 UTC. Its final orbit, inclined at 86.3°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 86.3°N and 86.3°S.

Life in orbit

27 years, 11 months

IRIDIUM 51’s lowest and highest points above Earth, week by week, from its tracking history.

Also ended on 14 Mar 2026

2 entries
PendingCYGNUS NG-23PendingOBJECT X

From the same launch

1998-018
1998-0105CZ-2C R/B2019-0196IRIDIUM 61
Orbital Register seal
Recorded in the Orbital Register™. The certificate and its permanent entry number follow once the record is complete.
orbitalradar.com/register/norad/25262
© 2026 Orbital Radar.