Massive 1,300-Pound NASA Satellite Makes Dramatic Re-Entry After 14-Year Space Odyssey

A hefty 1,300-pound NASA probe made its return to Earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday, marking nearly 14 years since its initial launch.

The U.S. Space Force confirmed the re-entry of Van Allen Probe A, which first took off in August 2012, at 6:37 a.m. ET on Wednesday. The probe descended over the eastern Pacific Ocean, as stated in a NASA release.

Earlier, NASA had estimated the probe’s return to Earth’s atmosphere to occur around 7:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday. However, they acknowledged that the prediction had a possible deviation of 24 hours, according to information from the U.S. Space Force.

NASA anticipated that the majority of the probe would incinerate upon re-entry, although some parts were expected to withstand the descent. The likelihood of any harm to humans was estimated at 1 in 4,200, indicating a minimal risk, according to NASA.

The Van Allen Probe A, along with its counterpart Van Allen Probe B, was launched to study Earth’s permanent radiation belts. These regions, known as the Van Allen belts, consist of charged particles ensnared by Earth’s magnetic field. They play a crucial role in protecting the planet from cosmic radiation, solar storms, and solar wind, NASA explains.

Their mission was supposed to last two years, but ended up going for nearly seven, NASA said. Most missions to the belts are short to minimize exposure to damaging radiation. 

The mission ended in 2019, when the probes ran out of fuel and could no longer orient themselves toward the sun. An analysis by mission specialists found the probes would likely re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in 2034, but the current active solar cycle has triggered intense space weather events and increased atmospheric drag on the spacecraft, pulling them in faster than expected.

The Van Allen probes were the first that were meant to spend a significant amount of time in the region, NASA said, and broke all records for spacecraft to function there. 

The probes made a number of discoveries during their seven years in operation, NASA said. They collected the first data showing the existence of a third radiation belt that can form during times of intense solar activity, and their observations have been the subject of hundreds of publications, according to NASA.  

Probe B is not expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere until the 2030s.