5,000-pound European satellite burns up over Pacific Ocean after 30 years in orbit
A defunct, 5,050-pound (2,290 kilograms) satellite has tumbled uncontrollably back to Earth after spending three decades in space. After slowly falling to Earth for more than 12 years, the European Space Agency's (ESA) ERS-2 satellite reentered Earth's atmosphere at 12:17 p.m. ET (5:17 p.m. GMT) on Wednesday, Feb. 21, burning up over a remote patch of the North Pacific Ocean roughly halfway between Alaska and Hawaii, according to ESA. No damage to property has been reported, and it is unclear if any debris survived the fiery plunge through the atmosphere. The dead satellite — which studied Earth's climate from its launch in 1995 until it was retired in 2011 — is one of hundreds of pieces of space debris that will fall back to Earth this year. Most pieces of space debris that reenter Earth's atmosphere are smaller than 3.2 feet (1 meter) across, according to ESA; however, even large objects like ERS-2 pose virtually no risk to people or property on the ground. ...
