The 2-ton Satellite Will Fall To Earth Today!
The 2-ton ERS-2 satellite, launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 1995 to collect data on the Earth's land, oceans and polar regions, will fall uncontrollably to Earth today. Where the satellite will fall remains a mystery.
The giant ERS-2 satellite, which was launched into orbit by the European Space Agency (ESA) 30 years ago and completed its mission in 2011, is returning home today.
The satellite will enter the atmosphere today, Wednesday, February 21.
ESA announced that the satellite, which weighs about 2 tons, will largely burn and disintegrate during the entry into the atmosphere.
It remains unclear where on Earth the pieces that remain intact could hit. However, ESA said the risk of a human being being being injured by space debris is around one in 100 billion.
Since a large area of the Earth is surrounded by oceans, debris falling into the sea seems to be the most likely scenario.
“None of these fragments contain toxic or radioactive material,” the agency said.
PERIOD OF ORBIT DEGRADATION
ESA said it was monitoring the satellite “very closely” with international partners and providing regular updates on a dedicated webpage.
The spacecraft was still operational when it completed its mission in 2011, 15 years after its launch.
After de-orbit maneuvers exhausted the satellite’s remaining fuel, ground control specialists began lowering its altitude from about 785 kilometers to 573 kilometers.
Since then, ERS-2 has been in a period of “orbital degradation”. This means that it is slowly moving closer to Earth as it circles the planet.
