On Wednesday, a previously launched satellite used for observing Earth’s surface disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean without causing any harm.

The ERS-2, a 5,000-pound spacecraft operated by the European Space Agency, reentered the Earth’s atmosphere between Hawaii and Alaska.

There were no reported damages or injuries. It was predicted by experts that the majority of the satellite would disintegrate.

The spacecraft, which was launched in 1995, was decommissioned in 2011. To prevent collisions with other satellites, flight controllers deliberately decreased its orbit until it ran out of fuel, and then allowed natural orbital decay to complete the process. As its descent was not controlled, the exact landing spot could not be determined.

ESA stated on X, previously known as Twitter, that “Although gone, ERS-2’s data remains a significant contribution to the progress of science.”

The previous satellite, ERS-1, which ceased functioning and became non-operational many years ago, is still in orbit.

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Source: wral.com