# Jonathan McDowell - Mar 2018 # Updated May 2021 #-- The biggest uncontrolled reentries -- # This file: https://planet4589.org/space/articles/big_reentries.txt # See also: https://planet4589.org/space/articles/big_deorbits.txt # # Note: STS-107 was controlled until its breakup but had similar consequences to an uncontrolled reentry. # I include it here even though it's not strictly an uncontrolled reentry. # # Spacecraft Reentry mass - tonnes Date Location # (0 OV-102 Columbia (STS-107) 106.4 2003 Feb 1 Texas/Louisiana) 1 Skylab space station 75.7 1979 Jul 11 Australia 2 Saturn S-II-13 (Skylab rocket) 45.1 1975 Jan 11 Atlantic Ocean (w of Madeira) 34N 19W 3 DOS 6 space station/TKS-M module (Salyut-7/Kosmos-1686) 39.0? 1991 Feb 7 Argentina 35S 64W -> 4a CZ-5B-Y1 rocket 21.2 2020 May 11 Atlantic (W of Nouakchott) 20N 20W -> 4b CZ-5B-Y2 rocket 21.2 2021 May 9 Indian Ocean (Maldives) 5 DOS 3 space station (Kosmos-557) 18.5 1973 May 22 Indian Ocean 6 Saturn SA-5 rocket/Jupiter nosecone 17.2 1966 Apr 30 Brazil 7 N-6 No. 1 satellite (Proton-4) 17.0 1969 Jul 24 Unknown 8 Apollo BP-15/Saturn SA-7 16.4 1964 Sep 22 9 Almaz-1 space station (Salyut-2) 16.3 1973 May 28 Pacific Ocean near Fiji 10 Apollo BP-13/Saturn SA-6 16.2 1964 Jun 1 Pacific Ocean 14N 179E 11 Tselina-2 No. 3L/Zenit-2 11S772 rocket (Kosmos-1714) 14.6 1986 Feb 27 Pacific Ocean? 12 Saturn S-IVB-204 (Apollo 5 rocket) 14.5 1968 Jan 23 Off coast of Australia 13 Saturn S-IVB-205 (Apollo 7 rocket) 13.6 1968 Oct 18 Indian Ocean 9S 82E 14 Fobos-Grunt 13.5 2012 Jan 15 Pacific W of Chile 46S 87W [Mass may be lower if prop vented] 15 UR-500 No. 209 (Proton-2 rocket) 13.2 1966 Aug 21 Unknown 16 UR-500 No. 212 (Proton-3 rocket) 13.2 1966 Jan 4 Unknown 17 UR-500 No. 207 (Proton-1 rocket) 13.2 1965 Sep 18 Unknown 18 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket/EPN 03.694 12.2 1985 Jun 21 Pacific Ocean 19 N-4 No. 4 satellite (Proton-3) 12.2 1966 Sep 16 Unknown 20 Saturn S-IVB-502 (Apollo 6 rocket) 12.0 1968 Apr 26 Indian Ocean 21 Lunar Module mockup LTA-2R 11.8 1968 Sep 3 Pacific Ocean 22 Pegasus 3/Saturn SA-10 10.3 1969 Aug 4 Indian Ocean 3N 57E 23 Pegasus 2/Saturn SA-8 10.3 1979 Nov 3 Atlantic Ocean 24 Pegasus 1/Saturn SA-9 10.3 1978 Sep 17 25 EPN No. 03.695 mockup (Kosmos-1873) 10.0? 1987 Sep 14 26 EPN No. 03.695 mockup (Kosmos-1871) 10.0? 1987 Aug 10 27 82LB72 LVI-4 (TKS mockup) 10.0? 1979 Jun 16 28 82LB72 LVI-3 (TKS mockup) 10.0? 1978 Apr 3 29 82LB72 LVI-1 (TKS mockup) 10.0? 1976 Dec 23 30 Kvant-1 FSB (TKS-E No. 010) 9.0? 1988 Aug 25 31 Titan 3C-7 Fairing/Lead Ballast 8.9 1965 Jun 29 32 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket 2SB80.5 8.3 2018 Jan 27 Peru 9S 74W 33 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket 2SB80.4 8.3 2016 Jan 1 Vietnam 15N 99E 34 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket 2SB41.1 8.3 2011 Nov 22 14S 133E 35 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket 2SB80.1 8.3 2011 Mar 19 36 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket 2SB80.3 8.3 2011 Aug 8 37 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket No 670-13-303 8.3 2000 Oct 11 38 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket No 670-57-901 8.3 1994 Sep 14 39 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket No 670-41-503 8.3 1988 Apr 8 40 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket No 510-58-404 8.3 1987 Sep 2 41 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket No 450-41-504 8.3 1987 Feb 22 42 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket No 450-95-601 8.3 1987 Aug 3 43 Zenit-2 11S772 rocket No 450-61-501 8.3 1986 Aug 4 44 N-4 No. 2 satellite (Proton-2) 8.3 1966 Feb 6 45 N-4 No. 1 satellite (Proton) 8.3 1965 Oct 11 46 PS-2/8K71PS No. M1-2PS Blok-A rocket (Sputnik 2 + rocket) 8.3 1958 Apr 14 47 Sputnik 8A91 No. B1-1 Blok-A rocket (Sputnik 3 rocket) 7.8 1958 Dec 3 48 Sputnik 8K71PS No. M1-PS Blok-A rocket (Sputnik 1 rocket) 7.8 1957 Dec 1 49 Tiangong-1 7.5 2018 Apr? 50 Mars-96 6.8 1996 Nov 17 Bolivia 51 Progress M-27M 6.5 (7.3 wet) 2015 May 8 51S 87W 52 3MS No. 170/Blok D No. 1101L (Kosmos-419) 6.5 (17.9 wet) 1971 May 12