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. |
More Services for Elderly ProposedUS Senate passes funding package after missing deadline to avert partial gov't shutdownChina urges US to stop poisoning public support for bilateral ties6th World Voice Expo Kicks off in HefeiYoung People Infuse Vibrancy into Chinese Square DancingArt Show Held to Celebrate Chongyang Festival in Lhasa, TibetChina Releases First PanUN Security Council strongly condemns terrorist attack in RussiaSchool Life in Damxung County, China's XizangPopulation Survey to Monitor Development