Bus-sized satellite crashes on Earth after falling from space for 13 years

Europe’s ERS-2 satellite crashed and burned over the Pacific Ocean completing a nearly 13-year-long journey since its mission ended above the planet.Â

The spacecraft completed its atmospheric reentry over the North Pacific Ocean and the European Space Agency confirmed that there was no damage to life and property on the planet from the crash.Â

Launched nearly three decades ago, the European Remote Sensing satellite, ERS-2, was tasked with providing long-term data on Earth’s land surfaces, ocean temperatures, ozone layer, and polar ice. The data transmitted by it revolutionised our understanding of the Earth system.Â

“The ERS satellites have provided a stream of data which has changed our view of the world in which we live. They have provided us with new insights on our planet, the chemistry of our atmosphere, the behavior of our oceans, and the effects of mankind’s activity on our environment – creating new opportunities for scientific research and applications,” ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said in a statement.Â

ESA’s European Remote Sensing 2 satellite (ERS-2) was recently spotted tumbling as it descends through the atmosphere. (Photo: ESA)

Designed to be in operation for just three years, the spacecraft continued to serve beyond its lifetime and was decommissioned in 2011. Since then, the spacecraft had been in a deorbiting phase falling from space over the years to eventually crash and burn in the planet’s thick atmosphere.Â

The European Space Agency said that the satellite’s altitude had been declining steadily ever since. On 21 February 2024, it reached the critical altitude of around 80 km at which the atmospheric drag was so strong that it began to break into pieces.

“Uncontrolled Atmospheric reentry has long been a common method for disposing of space objects at the end of their mission. We see objects similar in size or larger to ERS-2 reentering the atmosphere multiple times each year.”

ERS-2’s reentry was ‘natural’. All of its remaining fuel was depleted during deorbiting to reduce the risk of an internal malfunction causing the satellite to break up into pieces while still at an altitude used by active satellites.Â