Artist’s conception of ERS-2 from ESA. Since 2011, the deceased satellite has been deorbiting, having completed its mission. Sometime next week, on February 20–22, 2024, it should have an impact on Earth. Most of the spacecraft is going to burn up in our atmosphere. Photo courtesy of ESA.
A project by the UK Space Agency takes pictures of a satellite coming back to Earth.
Next week, there will be a large, dead satellite that will crash back to Earth. The European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft was part of the ERS-2 scientific Earth observation mission. The window for when ERS-2 will strike Earth isn’t exact since the agency can’t control its reentry, which they refer to as a “natural” reentry.
With a margin of error of plus or minus 26.62 hours, ESA’s most recent projection for reentry, as it approaches, is Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 12:10 UTC (6:10 a.m. CST). However, ESA is always changing this range, so for the most recent version, click this link.
The largest piece of the satellite that we think could reach the ground is 115 pounds (52 kg), according to ESA, during a press briefing on February 13.
However, it added: One in a billion people are thought to be at risk of having a piece of satellite land on their head.
Given that 71% of Earth’s surface is made up of water, it seems likely that the satellite will create a significant splash someplace.
This amazing mission established the foundation for many of the satellites in use today and established ESA as a leader in Earth observation, in addition to leaving a unique legacy of data that continually advances science.
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What is ERS-2?
Europe‘s second remote sensing satellite is called ERS-2 from ESA. Launched on April 21, 1995, the spacecraft observed Earth for 16 years until it was deactivated by ESA in 2011. The space agency guided the spacecraft through 66 manoeuvres in July and August of that year to help with deorbit.
To lower the satellite’s orbit and reduce the likelihood that it might collide with satellites that are in service, the manoeuvres depleted the satellite’s fuel. Additionally, by lowering the satellite’s orbit, it was guaranteed that it would reinter the atmosphere in the next 15 years as opposed to 100–200 years. All of ERS-2’s fuel ran out by September 2011.
Thus, the spacecraft can no longer function.
Data on polar ice, shifting land surfaces, sea level rise, rising oceans, and atmospheric chemistry were gathered by ERS-2 throughout the satellite’s lifespan. It was also called upon to serve in isolated areas following natural catastrophes. According to ESA, ERS-2: revealed a plethora of data that fundamentally altered our perception of the world and comprehension of climate change.
The weight of a dead satellite, ERS-2, upon re-entry is about 5,057 pounds (2294 kg). An object of this mass renters Earth’s atmosphere on average every week or two, according to ESA.
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According to the space agency, the satellite will start to disintegrate when it reaches a height of roughly 50 miles (80 km). The majority of the pieces will entirely burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. Some, however, might make it to Earth’s surface. Humans are not at all at risk. As per ESA’s report, there is less than one in a billion chance of a single human being hurt by space debris each year.
What effect does the burning spacecraft have on our atmosphere, then?
In contrast, ESA stated that there would be little short-term atmospheric influence from a single spacecraft burning up.
However, as stated by ESA, an item of this magnitude resurfaces every one to two weeks. Furthermore, in a research published in October 2023, a group of scientists stated:
Approximately ten percent of the aerosol particles in the stratosphere are made of aluminium and other metals that were released during the “burn-up” of rocket stages and satellites during reentry. These measurements have extensive implications for the stratosphere and higher altitudes, even though direct health or environmental repercussions at ground level are improbable. Metals from spacecraft reentry could alter the stratospheric aerosol layer, and there are a lot more launches scheduled for the upcoming decades.
Watch this space for further information regarding ERS-2’s reentry.
In summary, between February 20 and 22, 2024, ESA’s satellite ERS-2 is expected to crash into Earth. Uncontrolled, or “natural,” reentry of the defunct spacecraft is occurring.
