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7h ago

NASA, Space Force Track Imminent Reentry of Van Allen Probe A

U.S. trackers attribute the early decay to a strong solar maximum, with individual injury risk estimated at about 1-in-4,200.

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El dispositivo Van Allen Probe A regresa a la tierra tras 14 años en órbita.
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Overview

  • The roughly 600-kilogram spacecraft is expected to hit the atmosphere around 7:45 p.m. EST on March 10 with a ±24-hour uncertainty, and agencies are issuing real-time updates on its path.
  • Most of the probe should burn up during reentry, though some components could survive to the surface, according to NASA and the U.S. Space Force.
  • Officials have not specified an impact location and say predictions will be refined as the vehicle descends.
  • The reentry occurs years earlier than the original 2034 estimate after 2024’s strong solar maximum expanded the upper atmosphere and increased drag.
  • Launched in 2012 and deactivated in 2019, the mission exceeded its planned two years and documented a temporary third radiation belt; its twin, Probe B, is not expected to reenter before about 2030.