CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An old Earth-observing satellite fell out of orbit Wednesday and harmlessly broke apart over the Pacific. The European Remote Sensing 2 satellite reentered halfway between Hawaii and Alaska. The European Space Agency confirmed the demise of the 5,000-pound (2,300-kilogram) spacecraft, known as ERS-2. No damage or injuries were reported. Experts had expected most of the satellite to burn up. Launched in 1995, the spacecraft was retired in 2011. Flight controllers quickly lowered its orbit to avoid hitting other satellites, using up all the fuel, and natural orbital decay took care of the rest. Its entry was uncontrolled, and so the precise location could not be predicted. “Gone, but not forgotten,” ESA said on X, formerly Twitter. “ERS-2 left a remarkable legacy of data that still continue to advance science.” Its predecessor, ERS-1, which failed and stopped working decades ago, remains in orbit. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. |
Four people killed in a house explosion in southwestern MissouriShooting injures 2 at Missouri high school graduation ceremonyAnalysis: Larson enters conversation with Verstappen as best drivers in the worldPhilippines blames China for loss of giant clams in disputed shoal and urges environmental inquiryKosovo prepares a new draft law on renting prison cells to Denmark after the first proposal failedElon Musk gets approval from FDA to implant his Neuralink brain chip into a second patientInquiry slams UK authorities for failures that killed thousands in infected blood scandalFrench sports minister calls for sanctions after Monaco player tapes over antiLynn Williams breaks NWSL goalChildren are evacuated from school 'during an exam' after threat made via email