Post ContentNASA’s Van Allen Probes studied radiation belts surrounding Earth for nearly seven years. (Representational/Wikipedia)
Since the space race started back in 1955, humans have launched thousands of artificial satellites into orbit. Now, a big satellite sent by NASA 14 years ago is coming back to our planet.
The spacecraft in question – named Van Allen Probe A- was launched back in August of 2012 alongside its twin- the Van Allen Probe B to study the radiation belts around our planet.
According to NASA, Van Allen Probe A, a 1,323-pound (600kg) spacecraft that was deactivated back in 2019, is estimated to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 7:45 PM EDT on March 10, with an uncertainty of +/- 24 hours.
While the space agency expects Van Allen Probe A to burn up as it passes through the atmosphere, the US Space Force expects some components to survive re-entry. However, the risk of anyone getting hit by the debris is very low – approximately 1 in 4,200.
The low risk of injury takes into consideration the fact that the majority of Earth’s surface – about 70 per cent is covered by water, meaning any parts that will make it past the planet’s atmosphere will most likely crash into the ocean.
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Van Allen Probe A and Van Allen Probe B, originally launched for a two-year mission, ended up collecting extensive data on Earth’s two permanent radiation belts for nearly seven years. The mission eventually concluded after both spacecraft ran out of fuel and could no longer orient themselves toward the Sun.
Named after scientist James Van Allen, the spacecraft were designed to fly through and study rings of high-energy radiation particles trapped by Earth’s magnetic field.
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These doughnut-shaped regions, known as the Van Allen belts, help shield our planet from solar storms, cosmic radiation and streams of charged particles from the Sun, commonly referred to as the solar wind.
After the mission ended in 2019, NASA analysts predicted that it would re-enter Earth sometime in 2034, but those calculations changed after the current solar cycle started. In 2024, after the Sun reached its solar maximum, it triggered several space weather events, resulting the Van Allen Probe A’s earlier than expected re-entry.
As for Van Allen Probe B, NASA says the satellite is expected to re-enter Earth sometime before 2030.
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