Space Brief 22 Aug 2025
SpaceX's X-37B spaceplane launch, featuring advanced tech, highlights today’s space events. The launch of the first reprogrammable navigation satellite by the US Space Force is another significant milestone.
SL-4 R/B (05332)
COSPAR: 1971-061B | Alt Name: Voskhod (N158) Blok-I
DECAYED
Image
Additional Sources
Launch Details
Launch Date
July 20, 1971
Launch Site
Launch Pad
LC31
Launch Vehicle
Voskhod 11A57
Orbital Elements
NORAD ID
05332
International Designator
1971-061B
Decay Date
7/23/1971
Basic Satellite Info
Name
SL-4 R/B
Alternative Name
Voskhod (N158) Blok-I
Type
Rocket Body
Status
Space Junk
Owner
RVSN
Country
USSR
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Summary
A rocket body, also commonly referred to as an upper stage or spent rocket stage, is the structural shell left behind after a rocket has delivered its payload to orbit. These large and often heavy pieces of space hardware can remain in orbit for years, posing significant collision hazards as part of the growing space debris problem. If left uncontrolled, rocket bodies have the potential to reenter Earth's atmosphere unpredictably, which can lead to falling debris in populated areas. Additionally, they risk colliding with operational satellites or the International Space Station, creating more debris and putting human life at risk.
Physical Characteristics
Length
6.7
Diameter
2.7
Span
6.7
Dry Mass
2350
Launch Mass
2350
Shape
Cyl
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Technical Details
Payload
11A57I
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
PROG
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Blok-I
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Satellite Articles
View All Posts »Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
Starship V3 Flight 12 Four Weeks Out, X Report 11 Mar 2026
Starship V3 timeline: Musk puts Flight 12 about 4 weeks out, early to mid April 2026. SpaceX also hit 30 missions of 2026 with the 15,000-lb EchoStar 25.
Space Brief 2 Jan 2025
Today's recap covers SpaceX's role in record launch numbers, the FCC's spectrum allocation for launches, and the historical portrayal of the Ingenuity helicopter.
X Report 25 May 2025
SpaceX addresses the cause of its recent Starship Flight 8 explosion, while successfully launching 23 more Starlink satellites as it continues to expand its constellation.
Space Brief 17 Dec 2025
Today's stories cover Rocket Lab's innovative DiskSat launch, Digantara's expansion to missile defense, and DARPA's satellite surveillance network expansion, among other updates in military and satellite technology.
The Rocket That Refused to Sink
On April 18, 2014, a Falcon 9 first stage did something no orbital rocket had ever done before. It fired its engines on the way down, steered itself through the atmosphere using grid fins that did not yet exist, and touched the Atlantic Ocean softly enough to survive the impact. Nobody recovered it. The data was the whole point.
X Report 2 Jun 2025
SpaceX delays the launch of 23 Starlink satellites due to geomagnetic storm concerns, adjusting the schedule for an upcoming Falcon 9 mission.
X Report 13 Jul 2025
SpaceX successfully launched an Israeli satellite and remains on track for its upcoming Crew-11 mission while continuing to engage in mystery satellite launches.