SATELLITE TO RE-ENTER EARTH’S ORBIT THIS WEEK

Today is not just your typical Wednesday. That’s because a satellite belonging to the European Space Agency (ESA) is set to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere today.

It’s believed the satellite will re-enter at about 22:53 local time although it has been reported that there is a 7.5-hour window of uncertainty.

The ESA is tracking the satellite through an international surveillance network as well as the agency’s Space Debris Office.

The agency releases a statement to assure people that the situation isn’t out of the ordinary.

“As the spacecraft’s re-entry is ‘natural’, without the possibility to perform manoeuvres, it is impossible to know exactly where and when it will re-enter the atmosphere and begin to burn up.”

The ESA also said that space debris often re-enters Earth’s atmosphere and that this particular satellite’s weight of around 2,294 kilograms is an average weight.

This is due to the unpredictability of solar activity which has an impact on the density of Earth’s atmosphere.

CNN reports at around 80 kilometres above Earth's surface, the satellite is expected to break apart and the majority of the fragments will burn up in the atmosphere.

Even though some fragments could reach our planet’s surface, it’s believed the pieces will fall into the ocean.

Image credit: CNN