This week, a defunct NASA satellite is expected to descend to Earth, but experts tracking the spacecraft believe it poses little risk. NASA and the Department of Defense have announced that the defunct science satellite Rhessi will plunge through the atmosphere on Wednesday night.
NASA announced on Tuesday that the reentry location will not be disclosed due to ongoing ambiguity regarding when and where the spacecraft will crash.
Old NASA satellite is falling to Earth with a ‘low’ hazard potential.
A portion of the 660-pound (300-kilogram) satellite is anticipated to survive its return to Earth. The space agency stated in a statement that the likelihood of anyone on Earth being injured by falling satellite fragments is “low” — approximately 1 in 2,467.In 2002, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (Rhessi) was launched into orbit to investigate the sun.
It recorded over 100,000 solar events by capturing images in high-energy X-rays and gamma radiation.