(Credit: NASA/Mike Hopkins via Twitter)
UPDATE: The astronomer Jonathan McDowell says the space debris appears to have landed "over the Gulf of Mexico between Cancun and Cuba."
Original story:
A giant wad of space junk is projected to fall to Earth today, with some parts potentially reaching the Earth’s surface.
The European Space Agency on Thursday issued a warning about the space debris, saying it’s expected to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere between 9:35 am and 4:25pm EST.
The debris comes from a 2.9-ton pallet of used batteries that the International Space Station ejected back in 2021. At the time, NASA said the batteries would orbit the Earth for two to four years before harmlessly burning up in the atmosphere. But at the same time, the batteries were reportedly the biggest objects the space station had ever jettisoned.
Hence, some of the space trash might survive the fiery re-entry. Still, the European Space Agency says: “While some parts may reach the ground, the casualty risk —the likelihood of a person being hit— is very low.”
(Credit: ESA)It's unclear where the debris will land. For now, the European Space Agency says, “the reentry will occur between -51.6 degrees South and 51.6 degrees North,” which crosses through the eastern US and western Europe, along with large portions of Asia.
The potential risk prompted German authorities to send an emergency alert to the public about the possibility of space debris falling within the country. “According to current information, the probability of debris hitting Germany is considered to be very low,” the warning said.
In the meantime, the US Space Force says the re-entry of the space debris could occur later in the day, between 12:30pm to 4:30pm EST, according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell.