The European Space Agency has shared that the ERS-2 satellite, which weighs as much as an adult rhino, will make an uncontrolled return through Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday.
The ESA shared that the satellite could be late and re-enter about 15 hours earlier or later than expected, as they can not predict exactly when and where it will happen, being that it is a “natural” return.
The satellite was switched off, and its batteries depleted, so scientists no longer have a way to actively control the motion of the satellite as it descends back to the Earth.
The last of ERS-2’s fuel was used up in 2011, and it has since remained in space, having completed its mission of observing the planet’s land surfaces, oceans, and polar caps.
The satellite was launched in April 1995 and has helped monitor natural disasters like earthquakes and flooding.
While in the movies, the satellite would pose a risk that a hero would have to prevent and save a major city, ERS-2 doesn’t pose any real danger to those on Earth.
The space agency shared that most of the satellite will burn up on reentry, with some of the remaining fragments ending up somewhere in the ocean.
The risk of getting hit by space debris is 65,000 times lower than getting struck by lightning at 1 in 100 billion.
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