The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite is ready to make an uncontrolled entry into Earth’s atmosphere in about a day. However, nobody knows where the satellite will end up.
Fragments from satellite are set to crash into Earth late Sunday or Monday, as the probe has completed its fact-finding mission. The Gravity Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite was sent into space in March 2009
GOCE, or Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer, ran out of gas last month and has been steadily sinking towards the Earth. ESA says that the 1,100 kg satellite has already fallen to an altitude of 160 km.
“Most of these fragments will completely burn up. A small fraction of the initial spacecraft mass -- about 20 percent or 200 kilograms [440 pounds] -- is expected to reach ground, distributed across dozens of fragments, spread over a sizable re-entry ground swath.”
Professor Heiner Klinkrad from the ESA said: "At present we can not say where the re-entry is going to happen except that it is not going to happen north of the 85 northern latitude or south of 85 southern latitude.
The chances of it dropping on your head are remote. For one, Earth is over 70 percent water. Secondly, there are large uninhabited parts of the world.
Fragments from satellite are set to crash into Earth late Sunday or Monday, as the probe has completed its fact-finding mission. The Gravity Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite was sent into space in March 2009
“Most of these fragments will completely burn up. A small fraction of the initial spacecraft mass -- about 20 percent or 200 kilograms [440 pounds] -- is expected to reach ground, distributed across dozens of fragments, spread over a sizable re-entry ground swath.”
Professor Heiner Klinkrad from the ESA said: "At present we can not say where the re-entry is going to happen except that it is not going to happen north of the 85 northern latitude or south of 85 southern latitude.
The chances of it dropping on your head are remote. For one, Earth is over 70 percent water. Secondly, there are large uninhabited parts of the world.
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