Âé¶¹ÒùÔº

October 12, 2011

German satellite hurtles towards Earth: officials

This photo released by NASA in 1993 shows galaxies taken in X-ray light by ROSAT (Roentgen Satellite). A German satellite around the size of a car is speeding towards Earth, officials said Wednesday, due to re-enter the atmosphere later this month but with little idea where fragments could land.
× close
This photo released by NASA in 1993 shows galaxies taken in X-ray light by ROSAT (Roentgen Satellite). A German satellite around the size of a car is speeding towards Earth, officials said Wednesday, due to re-enter the atmosphere later this month but with little idea where fragments could land.

A German satellite around the size of a car is speeding towards Earth, officials said Wednesday, due to re-enter the atmosphere later this month but with little idea where fragments could land.

The x-ray observatory, named ROSAT, is expected to return to Earth between October 20 and 25, travelling at a speed of around 28,000 kilometres (17,000 miles) per hour, the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) said in a statement.

"The latest studies reveal that it is possible that up to 30 individual pieces weighing a total of 1.6 tonnes may reach the surface of the Earth," the DLR said in a statement on its website.

"The time and location of re-entry cannot be predicted precisely," added the agency, citing in for the uncertainty.

The satellite could re-enter the atmosphere three days before or after this range, the DLR said, stressing there was very little danger to humans.

Last month, a bus-sized US satellite that hurtled unpredictably toward Earth crossed over Africa and the northern Atlantic before plunging into the off California, said.

There were no sightings or reliable accounts of damage as the six-tonne Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) fell from the sky.

Load comments (0)

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's and . have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Get Instant Summarized Text (GIST)

This summary was automatically generated using LLM.