Just now, a dead NASA satellite from the 1980s plummeted to Earth and was destroyed by fire

 The 5,400-pound, 38-year-old Earth Radiation Budget Satellite crashed over the Bering Sea.

By Tariq Malik  

On January 8, 2022, the NASA Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, seen here in an artist's impression (left) and on the robotic arm of the space shuttle Challenger in 1984, exploded in Earth's atmosphere. (NASA credit for image)

An old NASA satellite from the 1980s that had become space garbage over the years was destroyed in a catastrophic crash late on Sunday, according to NASA.

At 11:04 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, January 8, the enormous Earth observation satellite known as the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) crashed back to Earth (0304 GMT on Monday). Some components of the 2,450-kilogram (5,400 pounds) satellite that was reentering the atmosphere over the Bering Sea may have survived the very heated conditions.

According to a Jan. 9 statement from NASA, "the Department of Defense confirmed that the 5,400-pound satellite reentered the atmosphere over the Bering Sea" (opens in new tab). "NASA expected some satellite components to survive the reentry but that the majority of the spacecraft would burn up as it went through the atmosphere."

To investigate how the Earth's surface received and radiated solar energy, NASA deployed the ERBS satellite in 1984 aboard the space shuttle Challenger. The satellite also investigated the stratosphere and other elements of the atmosphere, including nitrogen oxide, water vapour, and aerosols.

The NASA Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) consisted of three satellites and was only intended to last two years, finishing in 1986. However, the satellite continued to operate until NASA finally deactivated ERBS in orbit in 2005. It was simply another 2.5-ton piece of space debris after that.

NASA stated in their announcement that "ERBS substantially extended its anticipated two-year service life, running until its retirement in 2005." Researchers were able to gauge the impact of human activity on the planet's radiation balance thanks to its observations.

When it became apparent that the ERBS satellite would definitely fall from space late Friday, NASA made the announcement of the spacecraft's demise. At the time, NASA estimated that there was a one in 9,400 chance that any debris may injure humans on the ground.

While the ERBS mission's reentry burnup may be a fitting end to its almost 40 years in orbit, it also serves as a reminder of the continued threat that space trash poses both in orbit and on Earth.

China launched two Long March 5B rockets last year, once in July and once in November, to aid in the construction of its Tiangong Space Station, which dumped a massive amount of debris on Earth. A 23-ton (21 metric tonnes) rocket core was released on each launch, and it performed an uncontrolled reentry.

The Philippine Space Agency warned the public of falling rocket debris from a different Chinese launch on December 29 in late December.