Europa’s dead satellite falling into the Earth’s atmosphere

ERS-2 is expected to enter Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday, February 21 at 10:19 a.m. ET, according to the European Space Agency. This uncertainty is due to the influence of unpredictable solar activity, which affects the density of the Earth’s atmosphere and thus, can change the amount of drag on the satellite in its path, the European Space Agency wrote in its account X. It’s still too early to tell where the satellite will fall, but we’ll have a better idea as we get closer to re-entry.

Explaining the ERS-2 re-entry, the European Space Agency wrote: Such re-entry maneuvers are completely normal and safe. The ERS-2 satellite previously burned its remaining fuel during de-orbit maneuvers in 2011, and its landing was carefully planned to ensure it did not collide with other spacecraft or space debris.In response to frequently asked questions, the European Space Agency wrote: De-orbiting satellites at the end of their lives and ensuring their re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere is a fundamental way to keep space away from suspended satellites, prevent collisions in orbit and reduce the creation of space debris. Is.ERS-2 is considered to be the most complex Earth observation satellite ever built and launched by Europe. The weight of this satellite in an empty state reaches 2294 kg, which is very high for a piece of space junk.