NASA Satellite to Fall to Earth: Minimal Risk to Humans

A NASA satellite is expected to fall to Earth after midnight on Wednesday, according to the American space agency. The probability of someone being hit by debris is extremely low.

The spacecraft, one of two twins launched in 2012 to study the Van Allen radiation belt, weighs approximately 600 kilograms. It is expected to disintegrate almost completely upon entering Earth's atmosphere at approximately 01:45 (Greek time).

The U.S. Space Force estimates the probability of injury from surviving components at 1 in 4,200.

The Van Allen Probe A satellite, along with its twin, Van Allen Probe B, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on August 30, 2012. They were deactivated in 2019.

Initial calculations indicated reentry into the atmosphere in 2034, but proved inaccurate. The second satellite is expected to return after 2030.