A 272 Kilogram “Dead Satellite” Will Hit Earth Tonight!

The U.S. Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that the 272-kilogram The Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) satellite, which was sent into space years ago and is currently out of service, is expected to fall to Earth on the night of Wednesday to Thursday.

The RHESSI satellite was active from 2002 to 2018. The satellite, which has been in space for more than 20 years, has studied solar flares during its mission, helping NASA understand the basic physics behind such powerful bursts of energy. In addition, he recorded more than 100,000 solar events during his 16-year mission.

According to NASA, the satellite, which is unknown where it will fall, is very unlikely to harm people

A NASA rendering of the RHESSI satellite

NASA, which received information from the US Department of Defense, said in a statement on Monday that the satellite is estimated to enter the Earth’s atmosphere at 04:30 tonight. On Tuesday, this time was updated as 04:40 and it was stated that this time could change by plus or minus 10 hours.

In addition, the agency expects the majority of the spacecraft to burn up when it enters the atmosphere; However, he stated that some areas may reach the surface. Where the satellite will hit is not included in the explanations, but NASA added that the probability of harming any human being from the fall is a very small one in 2467.

There are millions of “space debris” in Earth orbit

RHESSI’s return to our planet is another reminder that Earth’s orbit is becoming increasingly crowded and the number of “space debris” is increasing rapidly. Estimates of the European Space Agency show that 36,500 pieces of space debris larger than 10 centimeters, 1 million pieces between 1 and 10 centimeters, and about 130 million pieces of space debris between 1 cm and 1 mm are in orbit.

The excess of these objects poses a great danger both for our planet and for space studies. While space debris damages the Earth with the chemicals they release, it also poses a great risk for active satellites and crewed or uncrewed flights by moving very fast.