ARGON 11

Re-entered 7 Nov 1963

ARGON 11 (NORAD 637, COSPAR 1963-035A) was a US satellite that re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 7 Nov 1963, launched on 29 Aug 1963 on the ARGON 11 mission. It was operated by NRO / ACE as part of the CORONA ARGON programme. The spacecraft was built by LMSC on the CORONA ARGON bus, with a mass of 101 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

101

kg mass

Lifecycle

Launched29 Aug 1963 · on the ARGON 11 mission

Operational1 Sep 1963 · entered service

Retired1 Sep 1963 · end of operational service

Re-entered7 Nov 1963 · atmospheric re-entry — object destroyed

Specifications

NORAD ID637

COSPAR1963-035A

TypeSatellite

OperatorNRO / ACE

Country / StateUS

ManufacturerLMSC

BusCORONA ARGON

Mass101 kg

ProgrammeCORONA ARGON

CategoryIMG

OrbitLEO (LLEO/I)

Altitude277 × 298 km

Inclination81.8°

Frequently asked questions

What happened to ARGON 11?

ARGON 11 re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 7 Nov 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 ARGON 11 re-enter the atmosphere?

ARGON 11 re-entered on 7 Nov 1963, according to Orbital Radar's historical catalogue records.

Who operated and built ARGON 11?

ARGON 11 was operated by NRO / ACE and built by LMSC (US).

Launched together

0.1 Square Meter TargetRe-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: ARGON 11 → What is space debris? →