An old NASA science satellite that had spent more than a decade studying one of the most hazardous regions near Earth ultimately returned through the atmosphere on Wednesday, the U.S. Space Force said.
The Van Allen Probe A spacecraft came in west of the Galapagos Islands and reentered uncontrolled over the Pacific, the Space Force said. NASA expected the satellite’s destructive passage to leave only limited remnants at the surface, with most material burning up during atmospheric entry.
NASA described the Van Allen Probe A as a 1,323-pound (600-kilogram) spacecraft. The agency said it expected some of the probe to survive reentry, but it also assessed the overall risk to people as very low, putting the chance of bodily harm at 1-in-4,200.
The mission’s two spacecraft were launched in 2012 and operated together for years to study the radiation belts that surround Earth. NASA said the probes studied those belts for seven years before ceasing operation and that the twin probe, Van Allen Probe B, is still in orbit but no longer functioning.
NASA said it had expected the probes to remain in orbit longer after they ran out of fuel in 2019, with Van Allen Probe A anticipated to last until 2034. The agency said intense solar activity in recent years hastened the A probe’s demise.
Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek said all reentries are difficult to predict, but he said this one was especially challenging because of the satellite’s eccentric, lopsided orbit. NASA said Van Allen Probe B is not expected to reenter before 2030.