Satellite Crashes Into Earth’s Atmosphere

The satellite was studying Earth's land, oceans and polar caps
Kaitlin Wright,

A school bus sized satellite crashed into Earth’s atmosphere today.Β The ERS-2 satellite entered Earth’s atmosphere over the North Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Hawaii at 12:17 ET. Most of the satellite burned up during re-entry.

The exact time of the satellite’s reentry had been unclear. The European Space Agency released a statement saying, β€œAs the spacecraft’s reentry is β€˜natural’, without the possibility to perform maneuvers, it is impossible to know exactly where and when it will reenter the atmosphere and begin to burn up.”

The ERS-2 launched on April 21, 1995 and ended its operation in 2011. The satellite was studying Earth’s land, oceans and polar caps.