The ERBS satellite will leave orbit within the next few hours and will fall to Earth on the night of Sunday to Monday. Weighing over two tons, the equipment has been in extraterrestrial space for almost 40 years. As NASA predicts, most of its fragments will burn up in the atmosphere, but some debris may fall to the surface of our planet, although the risk of causing any harm to anyone is “very low”.
According to the US Department of Defense, the ERBS satellite, weighing about 2,450 kilograms, is to leave its current position and enter the Earth’s atmosphere on the night from Sunday to Monday. Entry time is set for Monday at 00.40 in Poland, but it can also be up to 13 hours before or after this time. However, according to the findings of the American government-funded research center Aerospace Corporation, the satellite is to enter the atmosphere at 4.49. NASA and the Department of Defense said they will monitor the process and update forecasts.
Very low risk
NASA expects most of the satellite to burn up as it travels through the atmosphere, but some components are expected to survive falling to Earth’s surface. The risk of anyone being harmed, however, is described as “very low” – the space agency estimates that the probability of being hit by a piece of the satellite is about 1 in 9,400.
ERBS satellite. How did he end up in space
The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) was launched into space in October 1984 aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. For more than 20 years, the device has been part of a program to monitor the Earth’s energy balance – the ratio between the energy received from the Sun and the energy radiated back into space. This is an important indicator that helps monitor the state of the climate on our planet.
ERBS was initially supposed to operate for only two years, but in fact the device remained in operation for more than ten times longer. The satellite finally stopped working in 2005 and has been hovering in extraterrestrial space ever since – which is about to change tonight.
ERBS satelliteNASA
Main photo source: NASA