Huge satellite will head towards Earth in DAYS and experts don't know where it will end up

Later this month, a HUGE European satellite will hurtle towards Earth, which hawk-eyed experts will be watching closely.

The now decommissioned spacecraft, which was launched into orbit in April 1995, is the European Space Agency's (ESA) Remote Sensing 2 (ERS-2) satellite.

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ERS-2's Earth observation duties were halted in 2011, when the ESA emptied its fuel tank to lower its altitude and protect its hardware from collisions with other operational satellites.

According to the ESA, ERS-2 was “the most advanced Earth observation spacecraft ever developed and launched by Europe.”

It was equipped with advanced radar equipment that “proved invaluable” when it came to monitoring natural disasters, Dr Minjae Kim, an astrophysicist at Warwick University, told The Sun.

At the time of launch it weighed 5,547 pounds (2,516 kg).

Now, without the fuel, it tips the scales at about 2,294 kg (5,057 pounds) – that's slightly heavier than a male rhino or a Tesla Model X.

Thousands of extraterrestrial objects – such as meteorites or failed lunar landers – come to Earth every year.

Although these meteorites typically range in weight from 50 g to 10 kg.

Dr. Kim added: “Although most of them arrive as dust or small particles, which are invisible to us, space rocks are expected to be around 10 meters wide – similar in size to the ERS-2 satellite with a height of 11, 8 meters –. enter the Earth's atmosphere every six to ten years.

“On an even rarer scale, objects large enough to pose a threat to civilization occur only once every few million years.”

ERS-2 will most likely meet a fiery death and burn up upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

It is expected that there will be no more debris for any collisions or damage on Earth.

If debris is present, there is a good chance it will end up in the ocean, since water covers about 70 percent of the Earth.

“As for the ERS-2 satellite, it is unlikely to pose a threat upon reentry, especially since it is specifically configured to reduce the possibility of fragmentation,” Dr. Kim continued.

“As it descends through Earth's lower atmospheric layers, it is expected to burn up completely, although the trajectory of this uncontrolled return cannot be precisely predicted.”

There is always some degree of risk when it comes to space objects rocketing towards Earth.

Although ESA officials say the annual risk of an individual human being injured by space debris is less than 1 in 100 billion – roughly 65,000 times lower than the risk of being struck by lightning.

It is unclear what exact date ERS-2 will reemerge.

Explained: 'A certain degree of risk'

Dr. Kim says the so-called 2013 Chelyabinsk event serves as a 'grim reminder

“An asteroid with a diameter of about 20 meters entered the Earth's atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia,” explained Dr. Kim out. “Exploding while still in the air, releasing energy equivalent to 500 kilotons of TNT.”

He added: “Fortunately it exploded about 30km above the ground, sparing direct impact damage.

'However, it caused a shock wave that injured 1,500 people and damaged 7,200 buildings in six cities.

“Most injuries resulted from the lower velocity effects of the shock wave, such as shattered windows causing damage from flying glass.

“Fortunately, it is well known that space rocks smaller than about 25 meters (or 82 feet) usually disintegrate upon entering Earth's atmosphere, causing minimal to no damage.”

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