Heads Up! Satellite returning to Earth - SPLOOSH!

[Maxmars]

Yeah, I hate the 'jounalistic' way of making these kinds of OPs... I like to say what I would want to hear, and not...

From FOX weather:
School bus-sized satellite to crash into Earth's atmosphere this week

(even the URL for this story was more informative than the title... www.foxweather.com/earth-space/european-satellite-burn-up-over-earth-atmosphere-february)

The article says that this big satellite will likely not survive the atmospheric re-entry on Wednesday morning, this week.



ESA’s ERS-2 satellite was spotted on January 29, 2024, tumbling as it descends through the atmosphere.
... captured by cameras on board other satellites by Australian company HEO on behalf of the UK Space Agency.
 

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...
Since the spacecraft took a "natural descent" path, ESA could not predict precisely when or where the satellite would come down on Earth but estimated it would happen in February 2024. As the satellite's demise approaches, ESA has been issuing updates.PT

ESA's Space Debris Office released its latest re-entry prediction on Monday, saying the satellite will likely burn up over Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday morning, plus or minus a margin of about 12 hours. The landing and re-entry location uncertainty will decrease as the spacecraft's end nears. 

ESA said that at about 50 miles above Earth, the large satellite will break up into small pieces. Any risks from the satellite reentry are very low, according to the space agency.

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So, good luck, and maybe you'll actually see the event live in-real-time.

[Kenzo]

[Maxmars]

Imagine the recovery teams' surprise, when in the wreckage they find a single lead round.... 

[Maxmars]

Addendum!

According to the Register, some pieces of the satellite may reach the ground. and have also narrowed a 15-hour window of "arrival."
 

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ESA's ERS-2 satellite is heading back to Earth this week and some substantial fragments are likely to survive re-entry, although the chances of anyone being injured by a hunk of space junk are vanishingly small.
 
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) posted some images of the doomed European Remote Sensing (ERS-2) satellite at the end of last week. As of today, ESA's Space Debris Office reckons that re-entry will take place 1114 UTC on February 21, give or take 15 hours.
...
The worry is that while most of the 2,294 kg satellite will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, substantial chunks could survive re-entry. Some reports estimate the largest pieces to weigh in at 52 kg [that's over 100 pounds.-MM]

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Good hunting!

[DontTreadOnMe]

[Kenzo]

Imagine the recovery teams' surprise, when in the wreckage they find a single lead round.... 

Haaha

They have live video

[Maxmars]

Thank you so much... I went looking for the "final" countdown... but you found it first!!  

[Kenzo]

Thank you so much... I went looking for the "final" countdown... but you found it first!!  

Look`s like is decided to become sentient, and not to return

[Maxmars]

Apparently as of 1PM EST the official reporting says that the satellite has very likely re-entered since the operations monitoring the satellite have failed to observe the satellite which means it may no longer be in orbit.  It likely fell into the Pacific Ocean.