A satellite weighing more than two tons will fall uncontrollably somewhere on Earth this Wednesday

He weighs about the same as an adult male rhinoceros. It is as wide as a bus and as long as another one. It has not worked for 13 years and will fall to Earth in the next few hours. ERS-2, launched in 1995 as the European Space Agency’s (ESA) largest and most advanced planet-observing satellite, will end its service by disintegrating in the Earth’s atmosphere, although due to its size some fragments up to 52 kilograms They could survive and fall at various points on the Earth.

ESA’s Space Debris Office and an international surveillance network are monitoring the descent of this 2.3-tonne object. Because it is a natural reentry, meaning without the ability to maneuver, it is impossible to know exactly where and when it will re-enter the atmosphere and begin to burn. The latest estimate is that this will happen at 17:32 Spanish time this Wednesday.

, albeit with an error of four and a half hours. Which, if you guess correctly, will fall into the southeastern part of Africa. “This uncertainty is mainly due to influence of unpredictable solar activitywhich affects the density of the Earth’s atmosphere and therefore the drag experienced by the satellite,” ESA points out.

The European agency describes the process as “normal and safe.” The probability of someone being hit by a satellite part is 1 in 100,000 million. Also, the place where it is most likely to fall is the ocean. ESA says that if any fragment survives, it will not contain toxic or radioactive substances.

Along with the almost identical ERS-1, launched four years earlier, ERS-2 collected a wealth of valuable data on reduction of polar ice caps, changes in the earth’s surface, rising sea levels,

ocean warming and atmospheric chemistry. It also monitored natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes in remote parts of the world. When ERS-2 was launched, the idea of ​​climate change was much less valued and understood than it is today, but its data gave scientists insight into the impact humans are having on the planet.

Both satellites were equipped with an impressive array of instruments, including synthetic aperture radar, radar altimeter, and other powerful sensors for measuring ocean surface temperatures and offshore winds. ERS-2 also had an additional sensor to measure atmospheric ozone. Its data is still used and accessible by ESA’s Legacy space programme.

space debris

Between July and August 2011, the satellite completed 66 deorbit maneuvers, completing its mission. The maneuvers used up the satellite’s remaining fuel and They lowered their average altitude from 785 kilometers to approximately 573 kilometers.to significantly reduce the risk of collision with other satellites or space debris, and to ensure that the satellite’s orbit decays quickly enough for it to re-enter the atmosphere within the next 15 years.

When the satellites are launched, The issue of space debris and its safe removal is becoming increasingly relevant.

when the goal is to reduce the accumulation of more space debris.

The Australian company HEO, working for the United Kingdom Space Agency, captured images of ERS-2’s fall during re-entry over several days. January 14, 28 and 29 and February 3, when he was at an altitude of about 300 kilometers.

Last week it reached 200 kilometers and began to fall at a rate of about 10 kilometers per day. Your rate of descent will quickly increase and, When it reaches 80 kilometers, it will begin to fall apart.