Grim photo shows doomed 5,000-pound 'Star Wars' satellite hurtling toward Earth
The UK Space Agency is on high alert after images emerged of a Star Wars-esque satellite hurtling towards Earth.
Scientists expect the doomed 5,000-pound satellite to crash into our planet within days, but have no idea where it will land.
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The European Remote Sensing 2 satellite (ERS-2) could re-enter Earth's atmosphere around noon on Wednesday, if scientists' latest assessment is correct.
But according to the European Space Agency (ESA), it could also return up to 27 hours before or after.
Data from Monday indicated the crash to Earth would occur on February 19 at 5:26 PM ET.
The Agency noted that the margin of error in the forecast was just over 1.5 days – plus or minus 38 hours.
Eerie footage taken from space by Australian company HEO, which has an office in Britain, showed ERS-2 hurtling toward Earth and spinning along the way about three weeks ago.
It is not yet known where the failed satellite could land.
The British agency is closely monitoring the falling orbiter and working with other agencies to track its return.
The UK Space Agency said: “Our orbital analysts use British-developed, state-of-the-art models to monitor re-entering objects and provide alerts if it is a UK-licensed object re-entering, or if the UK or our overseas territories/crown dependencies may be affected.
“These warnings are being distributed to civil defense authorities in Britain and government departments overseas.”
Head of Space Surveillance and Tracking at the British Space Agency Angus Stewart said it is becoming “increasingly challenging” to operate satellites safely in space and the advantages back to earth.
Mr Stewart added: “In addition to capturing these images as part of our work with HEO, the UK Space Agency runs the UK Re-Entry Warning Service and has tasked our UK sensors to detect the re-entry of ERS-2 to observe.
“We share data with ESA and other international partners through the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) and other forums to support satellite reentry.”
The European Space Agency said the satellite could no longer be controlled, so its reentry into Earth's atmosphere was “natural.”
ERS-2 was launched into low Earth orbit in April 1995 and completed its mission to observe our planet in September 2011.
Together with its twin satellite ERS-1, ERS-2 collected valuable data about Earth's land surface, oceans and polar ice caps.
It was also used to monitor natural disasters, including severe floods and earthquakes in remote parts of the world.
Preparations for the satellite's demise began in the summer of 2011 when the ESA carried out 66 re-orbiting maneuvers. Living Science reports.
The process was intended to use ERS-2's remaining fuel and reduce its average altitude from 788 kilometers to about 560 kilometers, which would help reduce the risk of a collision with other satellites or space debris.
It would also cause the satellite's orbit to deteriorate quickly enough that it could reenter Earth's atmosphere within 15 years.
The ERS-2 has been described by the ESA as “the most advanced Earth observation spacecraft ever developed and launched by Europe”.
When it left Earth, it weighed 5,547 pounds. Now it weighs about 5,057 pounds without fuel.
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