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| Feeling the Heat!
Air drag and, sometimes, gravitational effects cause satellites to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. Occasionally, re-entry is caused by a deliberate decision of a satellite owner to fire a retro-rocket and bring some part of a space vehicle back to Earth.
The majority of re-entries result in the vehicle being destroyed by frictional heating as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere. Some fragments may get through and hit the Earth's surface - hence the system of TIP messages to warn of the event. Only a space vehicle fitted with a heat shield will get through the atmosphere for an actual landing.
Anticipated Re-entries
Information comes from Space-Track. Most entries are from the '60-day' decay prediction messages. If the re-entry date has already passed then you might find the object is also in the Recent Re-entries list further down the page.
Below are re-entries expected over the next days. The list includes only natural re-entries and it excludes planned events such as a Soyuz, Shenzhou or Dragon spacecraft returning from space station duties.
Table created: 2026 Aug 10, 06:04 UTC
| Cat No |
Designation |
Name (SpaceTrack) |
Predicted Date UTC |
Prediction Issued UTC |
| 47380 | 2021-005AH | Starlink 2100 | 2026 Aug 9 | 2026 Aug 6 | | 47883 | 2021-021Z | Starlink 2342 | 2026 Aug 9 | 2026 Aug 9 | | 47641 | 2021-012X | Starlink 2019 | 2026 Aug 9 | 2026 Aug 9 | | 47749 | 2021-017AD | Starlink 2163 | 2026 Aug 10 | 2026 Aug 10 | | 46480 | 2020-067C | CZ 4B debris | 2026 Aug 10 | 2026 Aug 10 | | 57406 | 2023-102C | Starlink 30195 | 2026 Aug 11 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 46351 | 2020-062AC | Starlink 1646 | 2026 Aug 11 | 2026 Aug 10 | | 20965 | 1990-097D | rocket stage 2) | 2026 Aug 11 | 2026 Aug 10 | | 30597 | 1999-025AMC | Fengyun 1C debris | 2026 Aug 12 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 53681 | 2022-105AK | Starlink 4424 | 2026 Aug 12 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 69628 | 2026-138H | Kuaizhou upper stage | 2026 Aug 12 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 52853 | 2022-062Z | Starlink 4189 | 2026 Aug 12 | 2026 Aug 9 | | 47158 | 2020-088AN | Starlink 1873 | 2026 Aug 12 | 2026 Aug 10 | | 41658 | 2000-055NX | NOAA 16 debris | 2026 Aug 13 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 53506 | 2022-099AT | Starlink 4437 | 2026 Aug 13 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 48460 | 2021-040AJ | Starlink 2582 | 2026 Aug 13 | 2026 Aug 9 | | 39964 | 1981-053PA | Cosmos 1275 debris | 2026 Aug 14 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 46352 | 2020-062AD | Starlink 1653 | 2026 Aug 14 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 49489 | 2002-032DT | NOAA 17 debris | 2026 Aug 14 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 54092 | 2022-136AT | Starlink 5190 | 2026 Aug 14 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 69324 | 1998-067YG | ISS debris | 2026 Aug 14 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 34410 | 1993-036RB | Cosmos 2251 debris | 2026 Aug 15 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 52579 | 2022-051AV | Starlink 3893 | 2026 Aug 15 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 53477 | 2022-099N | Starlink 4412 | 2026 Aug 15 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 57956 | 2023-084BZ | Skykraft 3D | 2026 Aug 15 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 61480 | 2024-140AAN | CZ 6A debris | 2026 Aug 15 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 67482 | 2025-313BE | name not known | 2026 Aug 15 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 43881 | 2018-111F | D-Star One | 2026 Aug 16 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 46129 | 2020-057N | Starlink 1623 | 2026 Aug 16 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 53673 | 2022-105AB | Starlink 4456 | 2026 Aug 16 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 56355 | 2023-058AQ | Starlink 5533 | 2026 Aug 16 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 57156 | 2023-090BH | Starlink 6137 | 2026 Aug 16 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 67719 | 2026-024F | debris | 2026 Aug 16 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 45388 | 2020-019AE | Starlink 1280 | 2026 Aug 17 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 46167 | 2020-057BC | Starlink 1626 | 2026 Aug 17 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 46329 | 2020-062E | Starlink 1695 | 2026 Aug 17 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 46582 | 2020-070BC | Starlink 1728 | 2026 Aug 17 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 47778 | 2021-017BJ | Starlink 2211 | 2026 Aug 17 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 53492 | 2022-099AD | Starlink 4451 | 2026 Aug 17 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 61915 | 2024-207D | Starlink 32559 | 2026 Aug 17 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 69631 | 2026-128F | ZQ-2E DEB | 2026 Aug 17 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 34383 | 1993-036PY | Cosmos 2251 debris | 2026 Aug 18 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 36470 | 1993-036BBV | Cosmos 2251 debris | 2026 Aug 18 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 48029 | 2021-024BE | Starlink 2299 | 2026 Aug 18 | 2026 Aug 5 | | 59764 | 2024-091M | Starlink 11111 | 2026 Aug 18 | 2026 Jul 29 | | 69237 | 1998-067YF | EVA debris | 2026 Aug 18 | 2026 Jul 29 |
Recent TIP Messages
TIP messages are not a matter of routine and are not issued for all re-entries. They are more up to date and more precise than the Recent Re-entries list.
If you are unfamiliar with how to interpret TIP messages, you are recommended to read the Note at the bottom of the page.
Sometimes there may be a delay between the final TIP message and the re-entry being formally logged in Space-Track's Catalogue so a Message here may relate to a re-entry that has not yet entered the 'Recent' list.
Here is a list of TIP messages where the Window is less than about one quarter orbit. Even then it represents as much as ±9000 km of ground track. Where the window is ±1 minute, the re-entry signature was probably registered by a detector carried on a specialised 'space awareness' satellite.
Table created: 2026 Aug 10, 06:04 UTC
Cat No & Designation |
Name |
Terminal Date & Time UTC |
Lat, Long & Heading (10 km altitude) |
TIP Message Issued UTC |
69702 2026-146B | Electron stage 2 | 2026 Aug 7 16:45 ± 1 minute(s) | 23°.5 north, 157°.6 east southbound, ± 0.01 orbits | 2026 Aug 7 21:33 | 57930 2023-147T | Starlink 30476 | 2026 Aug 2 11:39 ± 1 minute(s) | 42°.4 south, 109°.8 west southbound, ± 0.01 orbits | 2026 Aug 5 17:35 | 47883 2021-021Z | Starlink 2342 | 2026 Aug 9 11:09 ± 1 minute(s) | 46°.8 south, 57°.5 east southbound, ± 0.01 orbits | 2026 Aug 9 12:04 | 47641 2021-012X | Starlink 2019 | 2026 Aug 9 16:07 ± 1 minute(s) | 10°.9 south, 115°.4 west southbound, ± 0.01 orbits | 2026 Aug 9 20:59 | 47589 2021-009AT | Starlink 1994 | 2026 Aug 7 13:07 ± 2 minute(s) | 48°.1 south, 53°.7 east southbound, ± 0.02 orbits | 2026 Aug 7 19:37 | 47380 2021-005AH | Starlink 2100 | 2026 Aug 9 01:27 ± 1 minute(s) | 50°.6 south, 94°.6 west southbound, ± 0.01 orbits | 2026 Aug 9 06:10 | 46723 2020-073BF | Starlink 1826 | 2026 Aug 5 22:02 ± 1 minute(s) | 50°.2 south, 111°.4 east southbound, ± 0.01 orbits | 2026 Aug 6 01:35 | 26702 2001-007A | Odin | 2026 Aug 3 14:17 ± 2 minute(s) | 20°.6 south, 86°.4 west southbound, ± 0.02 orbits | 2026 Aug 3 20:14 | 25467 1998-051A | Iridium 82 | 2026 Aug 8 07:10 ± 1 minute(s) | 42°.6 north, 9°.2 east southbound, ± 0.01 orbits | 2026 Aug 8 08:45 | 25157 1998-007A | GFO | 2026 Aug 3 05:04 ± 1 minute(s) | 71°.5 south, 25°.6 west southbound, ± 0.01 orbits | 2026 Aug 3 10:10 |
Recent Re-entries
This table is extracted from Space-Track's Catalogue and lists re-entries that occurred in the last 30 days, whether natural or deliberate. Sometimes the date shown indicates when the object was noticed as 'missing from orbit', re-entry may actually have occurred at least one day earlier.
Table created: 2026 Aug 10, 06:04 UTC
| Cat No |
Designation |
Name |
Date UTC |
| 25467 | 1998-051A | Iridium 82 | 2026 Aug 8 | | 53817 | 2022-113C | Electron third stage | 2026 Aug 8 | | 47589 | 2021-009AT | Starlink 1994 | 2026 Aug 7 | | 63406 | 2025-065H | Starlink 33690 | 2026 Aug 7 | | 69702 | 2026-146B | Electron stage 2 | 2026 Aug 7 | | 100239 | 2026-178C | Jielong 3 fourth stage | 2026 Aug 7 | | 46723 | 2020-073BF | Starlink 1826 | 2026 Aug 6 | | 52689 | 2022-053AK | Starlink 4078 | 2026 Aug 6 | | 47676 | 2021-012BJ | Starlink 2083 | 2026 Aug 6 | | 5192 | 1971-015AP | Cosmos 397 debris | 2026 Aug 5 | | 54397 | 2022-151DV | CZ 6A debris | 2026 Aug 5 | | 43764 | 2018-099G | Polar Scout Kodiak | 2026 Aug 4 | | 25157 | 1998-007A | GFO | 2026 Aug 3 | | 26702 | 2001-007A | Odin | 2026 Aug 3 | | 55894 | 2022-151AAS | CZ 6A debris | 2026 Aug 3 |
Note on TIP Messages
Close to re-entry time for many objects, SpaceTrack issues TIP Messages with a more-precise warning of the event. The meaning of the TIP acronym is lost in the mists of time so Space-Track has re-invented it as 'Tracking and Impact Prediction'.
The message includes an estimated time, latitude and longitude for when the object will go through a height of 10 kilometres (definition - Space-Track) above the ground. It is a rough indication of the start point of the ellipse within which debris might fall given that horizontal velocity will have reduced to near-zero because of air resistance. In some cases, the location is imprecise in practical terms because the window included in the message covers a long track across the Earth's surface.
TIP Messages are often a source of confusion as people take the predicted time literally and ignore the error margin (Window). In 2011 RIA-Novosti used a TIP Message, issued several weeks in advance, to pinpoint a village in North Africa, doggedly insisting that it would feel the full force of of Phobos-Grunt’s re-entry. SpaceTrack's Window was ±2 days, representing over one million kilometres of ground track and a large proportion of the Earth's surface between 52° North and 52° South.
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