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

QSS

QSS (NORAD 41731) re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on 25 January 2026 over Africa, after 9 years, 5 months in orbit.

Official date
NORAD number
41731
International designator
2016-051A
Object type
Spacecraft
Country
China
Launched
15 Aug 2016Jiuquan
Re-entered (UTC)
25 Jan 2026Recorded time 22:15 UTC
Time in orbit
9 years, 5 months3,450 days
How it ended
Re-entered (natural decay)
Latitude range
82.7°N to 82.7°SFinal inclination 97.3°
Mass
640 kg
Operator
CAS
Built by
SECM / USTC
Bus
CAST-2000?
Programme
CAS

Where it came down

Recorded position

Recorded position 18.0°N, 44.0°E at 22:15 UTC. Its final orbit, inclined at 97.3°, allowed a re-entry anywhere between 82.7°N and 82.7°S.

Life in orbit

9 years, 5 months

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

Also ended on 25 Jan 2026

2 entries
PendingJILIN-01 GAOFEN 3D 7PendingCZ-7A R/B

From the same launch

2016-051
2016-0173LX-12023-20283CAT-2
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/41731
© 2026 Orbital Radar.