Jonathan's Space Pages

Catalog of Space Object Reentries

In this catalog I assess and categorize each reentry of a historical artificial space objects (payloads, rocket bodies, ejected parts but not fragmentation debris) to compare with present disposal standards.

• The Disposal Codes page explains the different kinds of satellite and rocket disposal tabulated below.
• The Stats section below summarizes the number of reentries of each kind, and the expected disposal type of each currently orbiting spacecraft.
• The data are in the Main Catalog and the columns in that catalog are explained in Column Descriptions
• There is also a tab-separated-value version of the Main Catalog and of the statistics summary

Statistical summary table [NOTE CAVEATS IN CODES.HTML!]

In the table below, rather than estimating casualty risk, we regard reentries of objects with masses greater than a threshold mass M0 as problematic.

For this edition of the table, M0 has been set to 5000 kg. Note that less massive objects, depending on design, may also pose a significant casualty risk.

Explanation of columns for this table

Updated: 2024 Oct 13 03:15:21

ReentryStats
Code	Desc	Clause	PL Disposed	PL Active	RB	Parts	Total free	PL Att Disp	Total
Disposal consistent with US ODMSP
D-SO	Down/SO Targeted	a1	2	0	473	18	493	0	493
D-DO	Down/Deorbited	a1	369	0	564	2013	2946	0	2946
D-LAND	Down/Landed	a1/f	2101	0	1	0	2102	0	2102
D-LEO25	Down/LEO Reentry <25yr, Low mass M<M0	b	3398	0	3325	6241	12964	281	13245
D-NL25	Down/LEO-crossing <25yr, Low mass M<M0	b	238	0	669	622	1529	8	1537
U-LEO25	Up/LEO <25yr expected,Low mass M<M0	b	1461	1024	127	34	2646	9	2655
U-NL25	Up/LEO-crossing <25yr expected, Low mass M<M0	b	2	0	15	12	29	2	31
U-MEO-E	MEO Graveyard (ell.)	c.I	24	5	202	110	341	4	345
U-MEO-C	MEO Graveyard (circ)	c.II	201	95	120	58	474	7	481
U-GGYD	GEO Graveyard	d	20	577	59	15	671	2	673
D-LUN	Down/Lunar	L	68	0	7	64	139	0	139
U-HEL	Heliocentric	a2	168	31	141	226	566	1	567
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Subtotal	Good disposal (see note below)	-	8052	1732	5703	9413	24900	314	25214
Other disposal
D-LEO25M	Down/LEO Reentry <25yr, Massive M>M0	-	35	0	97	0	132	3	135
U-LEO25M	Up/LEO <25yr expected, Massive M>M0	-	6	0	5	0	11	0	11
D-LEO	Down/LEO Reentry >25yr	-	39	0	49	74	162	0	162
D-NL	Down/LEO-crossing Reentry >25yr	-	25	0	43	61	129	1	130
U-LEO+	Up/LEO >25yr exceeded	-	1290	0	641	507	2438	14	2452
U-LEO	Up/LEO >25yr expected	-	825	402	218	347	1792	10	1802
U-NL+	Up/LEO-crossing >25yr exceeded	-	26	0	23	110	159	2	161
U-NL	Up/LEO-crossing >25yr expected	-	6	0	8	76	90	0	90
U-DEST	Destroyed	-	9	0	4	3	16	0	16
U-GTO	Crosses LEO and GEO	-	125	50	367	147	689	3	692
U-XMEO	Violates MEO rule	-	46	33	5	3	87	0	87
U-XGEO	Crosses GEO	-	42	0	124	43	209	1	210
U-GEO	In GEO	-	718	0	137	118	973	0	973
U-CISL	Cislunar	-	35	12	34	48	129	0	129
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Subtotal	Bad disposal	-	3227	497	1765	1542	7031	34	7065

Note: "Good disposal" means good from the point of view of risk for in-orbit debris collisions; can still be very "bad" from the point of view of ground casualty list for massive reentries.

Further caveats on the following items from US ODMSP Section 4-1:

• a(1): Casualty risk not addressed.
• b: Area-time rule and casualty risk not addressed.
• c.I: Perturbations not modelled
• c.II: Perturbations not modelled
• d: 100 km pad used as a proxy for unmodelled perturbations
• e: This clause (resonance deorbit) not addressed at all
• f: Not currently addressed except for intact spacecraft landings.
• Lunar disposal not mentioned in ODMSP.

Note: The ESA standard (ESSB-ST-U-007, 2023) and the ISO standard (ISO-24113, 2023) have generally similar requirements to the US standard, although the ISO standard restricts the GEO protected zone to inclinations of less than 15 degrees, and the ESA standard could use some improvements in clarity.