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🛰️ SATELLITE · HISTORICAL RECORD

Recurve

Re-entered 2 Aug 2024

Recurve (NORAD 52944, COSPAR 2022-074A) was a US satellite that re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 2 Aug 2024, launched on 2 Jul 2022 on the Straight Up mission. It was operated by AFRL as part of the AFRL Cube programme. The spacecraft was built by AFRL on the Cubesat 12U bus, with a mass of 20 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.

2022
launched
2024
re-entered
2
years on orbit
20
kg mass

Lifecycle

Launched2 Jul 2022 · on the Straight Up mission
Operational1 Jul 2024 · entered service
Retired1 Jul 2024 · end of operational service
Re-entered2 Aug 2024 · atmospheric re-entry — object destroyed

Specifications

NORAD ID52944
COSPAR2022-074A
TypeSatellite
OperatorAFRL
Country / StateUS
ManufacturerAFRL
BusCubesat 12U
Mass20 kg
ProgrammeAFRL Cube
CategoryTECH
OrbitLEO (LLEO/I)
Altitude489 × 498 km
Inclination45.0°

Frequently asked questions

What happened to Recurve?

Recurve re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 2 Aug 2024, ending a mission that began with its launch in 2022. Objects in low orbits are gradually slowed by atmospheric drag until they fall back and burn up on re-entry.

When did Recurve re-enter the atmosphere?

Recurve re-entered on 2 Aug 2024, according to Orbital Radar's historical catalogue records.

Who operated and built Recurve?

Recurve was operated by AFRL and built by AFRL (US).

Launched together

NACHOS-2Re-entered 2024Slingshot 1Re-entered 2024GPX-2Re-entered 2024MISR-B-1Re-entered 2023CTIM-FDRe-entered 2023Lonestar 1Re-entered 2023
Historical record from the Orbital Radar satellite archive. Sources & methodology: data sources. Accessed 2026-09-06.