SURCAL

Re-entered 5 Jul 1963

SURCAL (NORAD 597, COSPAR 1963-021F) was a US satellite that re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 5 Jul 1963, launched on 15 Jun 1963 on the SURCAL mission. It was operated by NRL as part of the SURCAL programme. The spacecraft was built by NRL on the Surcal bus, with a mass of 4 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.

1963

launched

1963

re-entered

years on orbit

kg mass

Lifecycle

Launched15 Jun 1963 · on the SURCAL mission

Operational5 Jul 1963 · entered service

Retired5 Jul 1963 · end of operational service

Re-entered5 Jul 1963 · atmospheric re-entry — object destroyed

Specifications

NORAD ID597

COSPAR1963-021F

TypeSatellite

OperatorNRL

Country / StateUS

ManufacturerNRL

BusSurcal

Mass4 kg

ProgrammeSURCAL

CategoryCAL

OrbitLEO (LLEO/I)

Altitude139 × 768 km

Inclination69.7°

Frequently asked questions

What happened to SURCAL?

SURCAL re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 5 Jul 1963, ending a mission that began with its launch in 1963. Objects in low orbits are gradually slowed by atmospheric drag until they fall back and burn up on re-entry.

When did SURCAL re-enter the atmosphere?

SURCAL re-entered on 5 Jul 1963, according to Orbital Radar's historical catalogue records.

Who operated and built SURCAL?

SURCAL was operated by NRL and built by NRL (US).

Launched together

AFTRACK 33/Mission 7216Re-entered 1963 Lofti 2BRe-entered 1963 POPPY 2 AlfaRe-entered 1963 POPPY 2 BravoRe-entered 1963 POPPY 2 CharlieRe-entered 1963

Historical record from the Orbital Radar satellite archive. Sources & methodology: data sources. Accessed 2026-09-06.

Browse the live satellite directory → Re-entered satellites archive → Launch record: SURCAL → What is space debris? →