1,300-pound NASA satellite set for a fiery reentry on March 10

NASA’s 1,323-pound Van Allen Probe A is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere around March 10, with the Space Force targeting about 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT) ±24 hours. Most of the spacecraft should burn up during reentry, and any surviving pieces pose a very small risk to people on the ground (about 1 in 4,200). Debris would likely splash down in the ocean. The probes, launched in 2012 and deactivated in 2019, studied Earth’s radiation belts; heightened solar activity has increased atmospheric drag, shortening their orbital lifetimes, with Probe B not expected to reenter until around 2030.