Space.com describes it as “approximately three tons of debris thrown overboard from the International Space Station,” which crashed to Earth today. One satellite tracker claims: I took a picture of it passing over the Netherlands.…
“If it reentered a few minutes later, it would have arrived in Fort Myers, Florida,” wrote Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, in a post. But instead, it re-entered Earth's atmosphere on Friday afternoon “over the Gulf of Mexico between Cancun and Cuba.” “This was within the range of previous predictions, but slightly northeast of the 'most likely' part of the path.”
From Space.com:
The multi-ton Exposed Pallet 9 (EP9) was jettisoned from the space station in March 2021. At the time, it was reported that this was the most massive object ever thrown overboard from the International Space Station. Disposing of used or unwanted equipment in this manner is common practice within the space station. This is because objects usually burn up harmlessly in Earth's atmosphere.
Ahead of EP9's reentry, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief National Alert Center 1 in Bonn, Germany, released the following information… “The object is a battery pack from the International Space Station. Luminous phenomenon or sonic “There is a possibility…'' NASA said at the time of the jettison that the EP9 was loaded with old nickel metal hydride batteries, and that the mass of the EP9 was about the same as that of a large SUV. It is predicted that it will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere in parts. ~4 years.
The European Space Agency notes that “large space objects naturally re-enter the atmosphere approximately once a week, and most of their associated debris burns up before reaching the ground.”
“Most spacecraft, launch vehicles, and operational hardware are designed to limit the risks associated with atmospheric reentry.”
