NASA satellite to fall back to Earth, with a small risk of debris

A defunct NASA satellite that launched 14 years ago to study Earth’s radiation belts is expected to crash back to the planet on Tuesday

A defunct NASA satellite that launched 14 years ago to study Earth’s radiation belts is expected to crash back to the planet on Tuesday.

The roughly 1,323-pound spacecraft, known as the Van Allen Probe A, is projected to plunge through the atmosphere at approximately 7:45 p.m. EDT, based on predictions from the U.S. Space Force. Although it will be an uncontrolled re-entry — meaning NASA has no way to steer the probe — the agency expects most of the satellite to burn up as it makes the fiery trip through the atmosphere.

The agency said in a statement, however, that “some components are expected to survive re-entry.”

“The risk of harm coming to anyone on Earth is low — approximately 1 in 4,200,” NASA said. “NASA and Space Force will continue to monitor the re-entry and update predictions.”

It’s not uncommon for out-of-commission satellites, spent rocket parts and smaller bits of space debris to fall back to Earth. In fact, these types of objects re-enter the planet’s atmosphere on an almost daily basis, according to the European Space Agency.