LOS ANGELES, March 13 (Xinhua) — A NASA spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere early Wednesday, years earlier than originally predicted, according to the United States (US) space agency, reported Xinhua.
The spacecraft, Van Allen Probe A, re-entered the atmosphere at 6.37 am Eastern Time on Wednesday, nearly 14 years after its launch in August 2012, according to NASA.
The probe, together with its twin Van Allen Probe B, was designed to study the Van Allen radiation belts – rings of charged particles trapped by Earth’s magnetic field that shield the planet from harmful cosmic radiation and solar storms.
The US Space Force confirmed that Van Allen Probe A re-entered the atmosphere over the eastern Pacific Ocean region, at approximately a latitude of two degrees south and 255.3 degrees east longitude.
NASA said most of the spacecraft was expected to burn up as it travelled through the atmosphere, though some components may have survived.
The Van Allen Probes operated from 2012 to 2019 and collected unprecedented data on Earth’s radiation belts.
During the mission, scientists discovered that a transient third radiation belt can form during periods of intense solar activity.
When the mission ended in 2019 after the twin spacecraft ran out of fuel, scientists estimated that both spacecraft would re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in 2034.
However, stronger-than-expected solar activity during the current solar cycle increased atmospheric drag, accelerating the spacecraft’s orbital decay and leading to the earlier-than-expected re-entry.
Data from the mission continues to help better understand space weather and its effects on satellites, astronauts, and technological systems on Earth, such as communications, navigation, and power grids, according to NASA.
Van Allen Probe B is not expected to re-enter before 2030, said NASA.
