---
title: "A NASA Satellite From the 1960s Is About to Die"
description: "A NASA satellite from 1964 is going to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere for an extremely fiery retirement at some point this weekend."
date: "2020-08-28"
modified: "2020-08-28"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-satellite-1960s-die"
categories:
  - "NASA"
  - "Science & Energy"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "NASA"
  - "satellite"
  - "space"
  - "the digest"
---

# A NASA Satellite From the 1960s Is About to Die

![A NASA satellite from 1964 is going to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere for an extremely fiery retirement at some point this weekend.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/nasa-satellite-1960s-die.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## The OGO

This weekend, a 56-year old NASA satellite is set to be retired in a glorious blaze of fire.

The Orbiting Geophysics Observatory 1 (OGO-1) satellite studied how the Sun affects the Earth's magnetic field between 1964 and 1969, [according to *Space.com*](<https://www.space.com/ogo-1-satellite-reentry-coming.html>). Now, after roughly 50 years of peaceful retirement, the satellite will come back home — and incinerate as it re-enters the atmosphere.

## Peace Out

Hearing that a 1,000-pound satellite is [screaming back to Earth](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/deep-sea-graveyard-dead-spacecraft>) might give you pause, but NASA has stressed that OGO-1's dramatic demise is all part of the plan.

"The spacecraft will break up in the atmosphere and poses no threat to our planet — or anyone on it — and this is a normal final operational occurrence for retired spacecraft," reads a [NASA press release](<https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-ogo-1-spacecraft-to-return-home-over-the-weekend>).

## Sole Survivor

OGO-1, *Space.com* reports, has been the last bastion of the OGO program for years now. All five of the other OGO satellites, all launched in the 1960s, have already been retired in a similar fashion.

Now, decades after it stopped being useful to NASA, it's time for the original OGO to come home as well.

**READ MORE:** [56-year-old NASA satellite expected to fall to Earth this weekend](<https://www.space.com/ogo-1-satellite-reentry-coming.html>) \[*Space.com*\]

**More on satellites:** *[A Look Inside the Deep-Sea Graveyard for Dead Spacecraft](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/deep-sea-graveyard-dead-spacecraft>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)