CRASH AND BURN
Exact time doomed 5,000lb satellite will crash to Earth in six days revealed – but scientists don’t know where
The ESA has been preparing for this day for a long time
THE EUROPEAN Space Agency has plans to crash a failed satellite back into the Earth.
The spacecraft is known as the European Remote Sensing 2 (ERS-2) satellite.
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That process was to use up the satellite's remaining fuel and lower its average altitude from 488 miles to about 356 miles.
This helps to reduce the risk of collision with other satellites or space debris.
This process also helps the satellite's orbit deteriorate fast enough so it could reenter Earth's atmosphere within 15 years.
According to the ESA, the ERS-2 "was the most sophisticated Earth-observation spacecraft ever developed and launched by Europe."
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When it departed Earth, it weighed 5,547 pounds; now, without fuel, its weight is around 5,057 pounds.
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