European satellite disintegrates on re-entry

(UPI) -- The European Space Agency's satellite fell from its orbit and disintegrated in the high atmosphere causing no damage to property.

The GOCE satellite, short for Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer, ran out of fuel on Oct. 21 and over the past three weeks had been spiraling toward Earth, fueling speculation about its possible crash location.

“In the 56 years of spaceflight, some 15,000 tonnes of man-made space objects have reentered the atmosphere without causing a single human injury to date,” said Heiner Klinkrad, Head of ESA’s Space Debris Office.

An international group, including the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee and ESA’s Space Debris Office, observed the trajectory of the satellite. While most of the over 2,400-pound satellite disintegrated, an estimated 25 percent of the satellite made its way to the Earth's surface.

“The one-tonne GOCE satellite is only a small fraction of the 100–150 tonnes of man-made space objects that reenter Earth’s atmosphere annually,” said Klinkrad.

The satellite was used to map Earth's gravity, giving researchers a better understanding of oceans at rest. Orbiting at a low altitude of 161 miles above the Earth's surface, the satellite has also provided new insight into air density and wind speeds in the upper atmosphere.