A 5,000 pound European satellite, reported to be the size of a school bus, crashed into the Earth’s surface on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. The satellite had been floating throughout space since 2011 when it was retired after its launch in 1995. Though the satellite is no longer a threat, it seems that we were only saved by chance due to it landing in the Pacific Ocean. The big question remains, what if it had not ended up in our waters?
How many satellites remain in orbit?
The ERS-2 was not the only inactive satellite waiting idly above our heads. According to Janet Loehrke from USA TODAY, approximately 9,000 satellites still continue to exist in space. This number is extracted from the 16,990 satellites that have been launched since 1957. Clearly the number of satellites entering outer space is increasing which ultimately leads to higher odds of them crashing down onto the civilian population.
Why do inactive satellites remain in space?
After a satellite is launched into space, its purpose is to send signals to electronic devices. Once it has been sent up, it is not meant to come down. This leaves a collection of metal that ways over 2 tons looming above us. Once the machine runs out of fuel, it falls. The Space Agency stated that once the fuel is empty, they can not do anything to control or stop its impending descent onto earth.
Has a satellite fallen onto earth before?
On January 8, 2023, a 38 year old NASA satellite came crashing down into the Bering Sea. Editor-in-Chief of Space.com, Tarik Malik, wrote a comment from the Department of Defense stating that the “5,400-pound satellite reentered the atmosphere over the Bering Sea.” This vintage satellite weighed over 200 pounds more than the ERS-2, they both fortunately landed in water.
Evidently, both satellites had no detrimental effect on the earth, but the possibility of millions being endangered still remains. The satellites being neglected in space are thoughtless acts that are leaving the people of earth in harm’s way. If the ERS-2 satellite had not come into collision with one of our bodies of water, depending on the location, it would have killed hundreds if not thousands of unsuspecting civilians. We can only hope that our luck remains and we do not face the impending destruction of these space capsules landing on our heads.
References
“A dead satellite crashes back to Earth Wednesday”. Map shows where. (n.d.). USA TODAY. Retrieved February 22, 2024, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2024/02/15/european-space-agency-ers-2-satellite-crash/72569187007/
Doubek, J. (2024, February 20). Watch out, a dead satellite is falling back to Earth. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/02/20/1232565722/dead-satellite-space-junk-falling-back-to-earth
Strickland, A. (2024, February 19). ERS-2: A European Space Agency satellite will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere this week. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/19/world/ers-2-european-space-agency-satellite-reentry-scn/index.html
