This week is going to be crucial for the world of astronomy. A satellite that has been stranded in space for more than 10 years will fall to Earth. Experts hope so, but it is impossible to predict with complete precision what will happen to his remains.
In 1995, the ERS-2 satellite, one of the missions of the European Space Agency, was launched with enthusiasm and enthusiasm, with which they wanted to observe our planet. And the truth is that they achieved it. The satellite remained in space analyzing the Earth for 16 years. However, in 2011 it was decided that it was time to abandon it and close its cycle.
Now it has to fall
The problem, however, is that the satellite cannot be in space forever. As has already been said on many occasions, it is not feasible to fill space with satellites or their remains, given that space debris is beginning to be a big headache for those who observe space. Therefore, after abandoning it, the European Space Agency decided to carry out some maneuvers that would begin its return to Earth.
However, since that time more than ten years have passed in which the satellite has continued to wander. Everything changed last Valentine’s Day, at which time the ERS-2 made a maneuver to “warn” of its imminent fall. The time has come and scientists know that it will be this week, so they are preparing as much as possible.
What is going to happen?
Initially it was thought that the fall would take place tomorrow, but in the end, possibly, it will be the day after tomorrow, February 21. The time will be at 12:14 in Spain, although the agency indicates in your live updates that there is a margin of error of 15 hours that may be higher or lower than the revealed schedule. Therefore, it could be tomorrow and not the day after tomorrow, or even Thursday. They mention that it is difficult for them to make a real calculation of when the satellite will fall because there is some unpredictable solar activity that affects the Earth’s atmosphere.
What this means is that the attraction capacity of the satellite towards the Earth increases or decreases, so the exact moment when it will occur remains up in the air. They assure, however, that as the fall approaches they will have the opportunity to know the schedule more clearly.
The European Space Agency says that these types of satellite falls are normal and that we should not worry. They also explain that the satellite’s remaining fuel ran out in 2011, so no type of problem is expected due to its presence. Furthermore, they claim to have calculated the fall route and know that it will not collide with any other satellite or space debris. Because if that were to happen, there could be changes in trajectory or derived problems that are not exactly to the liking of scientists.
The weight of the satellite is 2,294 kg, so it is not exactly small, although the agency downplays its importance and insists that satellite falls are much more frequent than one might imagine. It seems that this specific case is being given more promotion due to what it entails, given that the ERS-2 was, at the time, a spectacular satellite superior to anything that had been manufactured in Europe. Its historical importance is enormous and, therefore, it gives the impression that they want to give it a farewell as it deserves.
As scientists point out, what will happen the moment the satellite comes close to coming into contact with the Earth’s atmosphere is that it will break into smaller pieces. Neither the size nor the quantity has been indicated, but apparently they will not pose any danger in their fall unlike what is usually seen in post-apocalyptic series. This will occur when the satellite is at a distance of about 80 kilometers. They believe that most of these satellite parts will end up burning up in contact with the atmosphere, so they will not pose any risk. The rest of the satellite will fall to Earth, although they assure that it is most likely that everything will end up in the ocean.
For those who are wondering, the European Space Agency says that the components of the satellite that are going to fall do not have any substances that could be dangerous. They do not contain any radioactive elements or anything toxic, so there is no need to worry in that regard either. The images that accompany the news have been published by the company HEO Robotics, which has achieved them using its advanced technology.
