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🛰️ SATELLITE · HISTORICAL RECORD

Black Knight 1

Re-entered 16 Jul 2015

Black Knight 1 (NORAD 39398, COSPAR 2013-064U) was a US satellite that re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 16 Jul 2015, launched on 20 Nov 2013 on the ORS-3 mission. It was operated by USMA as part of the USMA programme. The spacecraft was built by USMA on the Cubesat 1U bus, with a mass of 1 kg. Like most satellites in low orbits, it was gradually slowed by atmospheric drag until re-entry. Historical record from Orbital Radar's satellite archive, cross-referenced with the live satellite catalogue.

2013
launched
2015
re-entered
2
years on orbit
1
kg mass

Lifecycle

Launched20 Nov 2013 · on the ORS-3 mission
Operational20 Nov 2013 · entered service
Retired20 Nov 2013 · end of operational service
Re-entered16 Jul 2015 · atmospheric re-entry — object destroyed

Specifications

NORAD ID39398
COSPAR2013-064U
TypeSatellite
OperatorUSMA
Country / StateUS
ManufacturerUSMA
BusCubesat 1U
Mass1 kg
ProgrammeUSMA
CategoryTECH
OrbitLEO (LLEO/I)
Altitude495 × 503 km
Inclination40.5°

Frequently asked questions

What happened to Black Knight 1?

Black Knight 1 re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 16 Jul 2015, ending a mission that began with its launch in 2013. Objects in low orbits are gradually slowed by atmospheric drag until they fall back and burn up on re-entry.

When did Black Knight 1 re-enter the atmosphere?

Black Knight 1 re-entered on 16 Jul 2015, according to Orbital Radar's historical catalogue records.

Who operated and built Black Knight 1?

Black Knight 1 was operated by USMA and built by USMA (US).

Launched together

STP-SIV 2Re-entered 2023NSF FireflyRe-entered 2017ChargerSat 1.2Re-entered 2015Prometheus 1Re-entered 2015Lunar O/LRe-entered 2015Prometheus 3Re-entered 2015ORS-3Re-entered 2015PhoneSat 2.4Re-entered 2017
Historical record from the Orbital Radar satellite archive. Sources & methodology: data sources. Accessed 2026-09-06.