A Russian rocket, now out of control, is in all probability destined for a return to Earth in the next 24 hours. It is Angara-A5, launched into space from Plesetsk, in the northwestern region of Arkhangelsk, in Russia, on December 27 last. The launch was intended to test a higher stage of the rocket, but the attempt did not go as planned. Once in orbit, Angara-A5 lost control and headed back to Earth.
According to the state news agency TAS, quoted by CNN, “within 24 hours the rocket will be in free fall, but no one can predict where it will fall.” Most space debris burns upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere but it is possible that larger parts of Angara-A5 could instead cause damage if it lands in inhabited regions.
“The part of the Russian rocket was traveling at 7.5 kilometers per second and its re-entry latitude was probably between 63 degrees north and south of the equator,” Holger Krag, head of the Debris Office of the Debris Office, told CNN. European Space Agency (ESA). The US Space Command confirmed in a statement “that it is monitoring the position of the body of the Angara A5 / PERSEY rocket in space”, and now estimates that “the point of entry into Earth’s atmosphere is above the South Pacific Ocean. “. However, factors such as atmospheric conditions and the exact angle of the object as it enters the atmosphere can alter the re-entry point.