A satellite weighing about as much as an adult male rhinoceros is set to re-enter Earth's atmosphere today, but scientists don't know exactly when or where.
A satellite will likely make an uncontrolled return through Earth's atmosphere today, according to the latest estimates from the European Space Agency. It says ERS-2, which weighs about as much as an adult male rhinoceros, is expected to re-enter at about 11:32 a.m. EST â plus or minus 4.6 hours. The agency can't predict exactly when and where the satellite will re-enter because its return is 'natural.
Is there any danger as ERS-2 returns?Most of the satellite will burn up as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere, with some remaining fragments likely to fall into the ocean, according to the space agency. None of the fragments will contain any toxic or radioactive substances.The space agency added that the annual risk of a person being injured by space debris is under 1 in 100 billion, or 65,000 times lower than the risk of being struck by lightning.
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