Old NASA science satellite plunges back to Earth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An old NASA science satellite plunged uncontrolled from orbit and reentered over the Pacific on Wednesday.

The U.S. Space Force said the Van Allen Probe A came in west of the Galapagos Islands.

NASA expected some of the 1,323-pound (600-kilogram) spacecraft to survive entry, with most of it burning up in the atmosphere. The space agency put the risk of bodily harm at 1-in-4,200.

Its twin, the Van Allen Probe B, is still orbiting Earth, but no longer functioning.

Launched in 2012, the two spacecraft flew through the Van Allen radiation belts that surround Earth, studying them for seven years before ceasing operation.

When the satellites ran out of fuel in 2019, NASA anticipated them remaining in orbit until 2034. But the intense solar activity over the past several years hastened the A probe’s demise, the space agency said. The B probe is not expected to reenter before 2030.

Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek said all re-entries are difficult to predict, but this one was especially challenging given its eccentric, lopsided orbit.

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