The satellite is expected to fall to Earth after almost 30 years in space
A European satellite is expected to fall to Earth this afternoon after almost 30 years in space.
The spacecraft, called ERS-2, was launched back in 1995 – but is due to hit either land or sea before 5.30pm today, according to the European Space Agency.
ERS-2 went into space after its sister satellite, ERS-1, which was launched four years earlier.
The launch of the pair was a momentous event, as they were the most sophisticated satellites developed to observe Earth at the time.
The satellites measured land and ocean-surface temperatures, collected data on Earth’s melting polar ice caps, and monitored natural disasters – such as severe floods and earthquakes – in remote parts of the world.
ERS-2 also introduced a new way to monitor Earth’s protective ozone layer.
Throughout its 16-year working life, the ERS-2 collected lots of information that changed our understanding of the Earth and climate change.
It expected to take a fiery plunge into the Earth’s atmosphere sometime before 5.30pm today, but exactly when this will happen is difficult to say.
It’s because exactly when the satellite reaches Earth depends on the density of the upper part of the atmosphere, something which is influenced by activity in space.
The two-tonne satellite will break up into pieces when it re-enters the atmosphere and the majority of it will burn up, the ESA has said.
The ESA is still monitoring its landfall, which is predicted to occur somewhere over the east coast of central Africa.
Experts predict that very little of ERS-2 will make it all the way to the Earth’s surface, and if any pieces do survive they are most likely to be very small and will fall into the sea.
BBC
