NASA’s defunct spacecraft is hurtling into Earth’s atmosphere 21 years after launch
A NASA satellite that observed solar flares and helped scientists understand the sun’s powerful bursts of energy will fall to Earth this week. The agency expects most of the spacecraft to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere, but some parts could survive, posing a slight risk for Earth’s population. The retired Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) spacecraft is returning to Earth almost 21 years after it was launched - it was launched in 2002 and decommissioned in 2018. Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >> It is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday at approximately 11.30am AEST, according to NASA. The agency expects most of the 300kg spacecraft to burn up as it travels through the atmosphere, but some components are expected to survive re-entry. The risk of harm coming to anyone on Earth as a result of RHESSI’s return is low — approximately 1 in 2467, according to NASA. A NASA satellite is set to plummet throug...