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ESA's ERS-2 satellite to fall back to Earth after 30 years in orbit
ESA's ERS-2 satellite to fall back to Earth after 30 years in orbit
by Clyde Hughes
Washington DC (UPI) Feb 21, 2024

A European Space Agency satellite that spent nearly 30 years in orbit was expected to fall back to Earth on Wednesday.

The ESA predicted that the satellite would come crashing down at roughly 10:41 a.m. EST.

Its landing spot was still uncertain but it was expected to splash down somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

ESA researchers said they don't know how much of ERS-2 will be left since scientists believe most of it will burn up in the atmosphere and what remains is expected to be lost at sea.

On Monday, the ESA shared images captured by the U.K. Space Agency and HEO Robotics of ERS-2 tumbling toward Earth.

ERS-2 stopped operations in 2011 and has been making its way back toward Earth ever since.

It was launched in 1995, four years after its sister satellite ERS-1 to observe and track changes in planets.

ERS-2 specifically was fitted with an additional sensor that gave scientists their first consistent look at the ozone layer.

"It provided us with new insights on our planet, the chemistry of our atmosphere, the behavior of our oceans and the effects of humankind's activity on our environment," ESA's Mirko Albani told The Guardian.

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A large satellite which ended its mission 13 years ago will come crashing down to Earth in an uncontrolled manner within the next week, but there is almost zero chance it will hurt anyone, the European Space Agency has said. The ESA's ERS-2 satellite, which launched in 1995 on a mission to observe Earth, was slowly but deliberately brought down to avoid creating more debris orbiting the planet. Such space junk can pose a threat to active satellites as well as the International Space Station. ... read more

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