The impact in the atmosphere of the European Ers-2 satellite as it falls uncontrollably towards Earth is expected today. The forecasts of the European Space Agency office specialized in the analysis of space debris, updated continuously, currently indicate that the impact should occur at 4.41 pm Italian time. This is the most recent estimate, which updates the one provided at 10.00 this morning. The margin of uncertainty has been reduced from over 2 hours to less than two hours and the possible impact area in the atmosphere has moved further north, which according to the latest calculations should still occur over the Pacific Ocean.
It is at that point that the satellite should be destroyed, observe ESA experts. Most of the fragments should burn up on impact with the atmosphere. Only some could descend to the Earth’s surface.
The window of uncertainty is increasingly reduced as the moment of fall towards the earth approaches, and is mainly due to solar activity, which affects the density of the Earth’s atmosphere and therefore the resistance that the satellite will encounter. Furthermore, the interaction between unpredictable weather conditions. Other factors, such as the direction the satellite is facing and the fact that forecasts can only be updated when Ers-2 passes over a telescope or radar, make everything even more complex.
Read the full article on ANSA.it