Some of the satellite’s 2,450kg (5,400lb) mass is projected to survive re-entry but the majority will burn up in the atmosphere.
A defunct NASA satellite that has spent nearly 40 years in orbit is poised to hit the ground.
According to a statement released by NASA on Saturday, the likelihood of a risk to “anyone on Earth” from falling satellite debris is extremely low.
According to NASA, some components of the 2,450kg (5,400lb) satellite are anticipated to survive the re-entry but the most will burn up.
The United States space agency put the odds of injury from falling debris at about one-in-9,400. The science satellite is expected to come down on Sunday night at approximately 18:40 EST (23:40 GMT), give or take 17 hours, according to the US defence department.
The California-based Aerospace Corporation, however, has predicted Monday morning, US time, for the satellite’s re-entry, give or take 13 hours, along a track that passes over Africa, Asia the Middle East and the westernmost areas of North and South America.
The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, known as ERBS, was launched in 1984 on board the space shuttle Challenger.
Although its expected working lifetime was two years, the satellite kept making ozone and other atmospheric measurements until its retirement in 2005. The satellite studied how Earth absorbed and radiated energy from the sun.
“ERBS far exceeded its expected two-year service life, operating until its retirement in 2005,” NASA said in a statement.
“Its observations helped researchers measure the effects of human activities on Earth’s radiation balance,” NASA said.
The satellite got a special send-off when it was launched from the Challenger 38 years ago.
The first woman in space, US astronaut Sally Ride, released the satellite into orbit using the shuttle’s robot arm.
That same mission also featured the first spacewalk by a US woman Kathryn Sullivan. It was the first time two female astronauts flew in space together.
Source: Aljazeera