Satellite bigger than piano crashing to Earth soon

By Dean Murray

A satellite larger than a grand piano is expected to crash to Earth this week.

NASA’s Van Allen Probe A is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere eight years earlier than expected.

The space agency said much of the 1,323-pound spacecraft would burn up as it re-enters the atmosphere, but some components are expected to survive re-entry.

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

The US Space Force predicted that the satellite will re-enter the atmosphere at approximately 11:45pm UK-time on Tuesday (Mar 10) but admitted that schedule comes "with an uncertainty of +/- 24 hours."

Originally designed for a two-year mission, the Van Allen Probes A and B launched on August 30, 2012, and gathered unprecedented data on Earth’s two permanent radiation belts — named for scientist James Van Allen — for almost seven years.

NASA ended the mission after the two spacecraft ran out of fuel and were no longer able to orient themselves towards the Sun. 

Van Allen Probe B, the twin of the re-entering spacecraft, is not expected to re-enter before 2030.