Falling Satellite of the Day: Pieces of ROSAT, a 2.7-ton German X-ray satellite, could crash into the Earth any time between Friday and Monday, according to the German Aerospace Center.
Previous estimates had predicted the satellite would hit in late October or early November.
Part of ROSAT will burn up on re-entry, but up to 30 fragments, totaling 1.87 tons, are expected to land somewhere on Earth. Scientists can’t yet determine where the pieces will land — it could be anywhere in the huge area between 53 degrees north and 53 degrees south.
According to the German space agency, the odds of the satellite injuring someone are 1-in-2000. That’s slightly more dangerous than the 1-in-3200 chance NASA assigned to UARS, the satellite that crashed into the Pacific Ocean last month.
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