The satellite is expected to crash back to Earth soon.
The dead European Space Agency (ESA) satellite, called ERS-2, is predicted to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere sometime Wednesday, break up and possibly enter the ocean, according to ESA’s website.
The satellite weighs just over 5,000 pounds. (2294 kg), similar to the weight of an adult rhinoceros. It is expected to enter Earth’s atmosphere around 12:05 p.m. ET Wednesday, though it could re-enter up to 0.55 hours sooner or later, according to live updates from ESA’s website.
As for the impact, the ESA said it was unlikely to be large. While the satellite is just under 50 miles above Earth’s surface, it is expected to “disintegrate into fragments,” most of which will then burn up in the atmosphere before reaching Earth’s surface, according to ESA’s website.
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The agency also noted that fragments that could reach Earth “will not contain any toxic or radioactive substances,” and that there is less than a 1 in a billion chance of a person being injured by space debris.
The satellite was launched on April 21, 1995, and was described as “the most sophisticated Earth observation spacecraft ever developed” in Europe at the time, according to the agency’s website. After 16 years of operation, the satellite was decommissioned in 2011 and steps were taken to deorbit the satellite.
Part of the de-orbit process involved using the satellite’s fuel, to “reduce the risk” of the satellite exploding and creating large “space debris” when it enters Earth’s atmosphere. ESA also reduced its altitude so that it would not collide with other satellites and break up quickly enough to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere within 15 years.
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The satellite’s internal batteries were “discharged” and its communications antenna and onboard electronics were “shut down” as part of the process, meaning ESA would not be able to communicate with it or control where it would land.
Because of this, ESA employees do not know exactly where the satellite will re-enter the atmosphere and what will be its “path” towards Earth. However, ESA said its “international network of partners,” which includes the United States Space Surveillance Network and others, is working to help track ERS-2 using sensors.
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As of 12:35 ET on Wednesday, ESA said: “We have reached the end of the last re-entry window. We have not received any new ERS-2 observations. This may mean that the satellite has already re-entered, but we are awaiting information from our partners before which we can confirm.”
ESA will publish further updates on its website.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education