Images captured in space show a large, dead satellite falling toward a fiery end in Earth's atmosphere.
Australian commercial imaging company HEO Robotics was able to capture images of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Earth observation satellite ERS-2 on February 14, 2024 when the satellite fell awkwardly toward our planet. ERS-2, or European Remote Sensing 2, was launched in 1995 and spent 16 years observing our planet from space until its mission ended in 2011. Over the course of two months that year, ESA conducted dozens of deorbit maneuvers to begin Bring ERS-2 to a safe demise in Earth's atmosphere. That end is finally scheduled to come this week.
in to update ERS-2 is expected to charter on Wednesday (February 21) at 10:19 a.m. ET (1519 GMT), plus or minus about 19 hours, the European Space Agency said on Sunday (February 18). This uncertainty is due to “the influence of unpredictable solar activity, which affects the density of Earth's atmosphere,” the ESA wrote, and thus could change the amount of drag the satellite pulls on on its way down. It's still too early to know where it will fall, but we'll have a better idea closer to the return date.
Related: A large, dead European satellite will return to Earth this month
The European Space Agency wrote in a report that these re-entry maneuvers are completely normal and safe Frequently asked questions sheet Explanation of ERS-2 returns. ERS-2 had already burned up remaining fuel during deorbit maneuvers in 2011, and its landing was carefully planned to ensure it would not collide with other spacecraft or space debris.
“De-orbiting satellites at the end of their lives and ensuring their return to Earth’s atmosphere is an essential tool in keeping our busy space highways free of worn-out satellites, preventing in-orbit collisions, and mitigating the creation of further space debris,” the agency wrote. In the FAQ.
ERS-2 “was the most advanced Earth observation spacecraft ever developed and launched by Europe,” ESA officials wrote. The satellite weighs 5,047 pounds (2,294 kg) when empty as it is now, which is quite large for a piece of space debris.
But reintroduction of objects of this size is not uncommon these days. Pieces of space junk of similar mass burn up in Earth's atmosphere every few weeks, according to the European Space Agency's FAQ.
ERS-2 is expected to break up into smaller fragments once it reaches an altitude of about 50 miles (80 km) above Earth, most of which will burn up in the atmosphere. Some of it may make its way to the Earth's surface, but it is expected to fall into the ocean. “None of these parts will contain any toxic or radioactive materials,” the European Space Agency wrote.
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