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UARS Re-Entry
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UpdatesNASA and US Strategic Command have announced that UARS has re-entered Earth's Atmosphere in the early hours of September 24, 2011 after more than 20 years (6317 Days) in Space.
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September 27, 2011
NASA has issued their final report on the Re-Entry of the decommissioned Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite. UARS re-entered the atmosphere at 12:01am EDT on Saturday, September 24 over the Pacific Ocean at 14.1 degrees south latitude and 189.8 degrees east longitude. The debris footprint is located northeast of the entry point, far away from major land masses. The Agency is not aware of any debris sightings. Reports of the entering satellite making a final landfall over North America scattering debris south of Calgary, Canada have been debunked as UARS crashed 17 Minutes prior to making landfall.
Final Ground Track and Entry Point
Image: NASA
September 24, 2011 - 9am EDT
The decommissioned UARS Satellite Re-Entered Earth in the late night hours of Friday, September 23, or the early hours of Saturday, September 24, 2011. NASA confirmed that the Satellite has begun its re-entry between 11:23pm EDT Friday and 01:09am EDT Saturday. JSOC Data (Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base) indicated that UARS started re-entry over the Pacific, but the exact impact zone is not clear at this time. During the timeframe given by NASA, the abandoned spacecraft passed over the Pacific and Canada as well as the Atlantic Ocean and Africa. Initial reports implied that witnesses in Canada had seen a bright object moving fast through the sky on a descending trajectory at 10:20pm EDT. At that time, UARS was in fact passing over Canada. Should those reports be confirmed, the Debris Footprint should be located south of Calgary at ~50°N 114°W based on Orbital Tracking.
Stratcom Data shows that satellite hitting the Atmosphere at 30.9°N 141.1°W over the eastern Pacific Tracking towards North America. Other Data Sources show a specific Re-Entry Time at 4:10 to 4:20 UTC for an Entry Point over the Pacific or North America. Time will tell where and when the Satellite came back to Earth as more data will be analyzed.
Details will be published on this site as soon as information are confirmed.
The decommissioned UARS Satellite Re-Entered Earth in the late night hours of Friday, September 23, or the early hours of Saturday, September 24, 2011. NASA confirmed that the Satellite has begun its re-entry between 11:23pm EDT Friday and 01:09am EDT Saturday. JSOC Data (Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base) indicated that UARS started re-entry over the Pacific, but the exact impact zone is not clear at this time. During the timeframe given by NASA, the abandoned spacecraft passed over the Pacific and Canada as well as the Atlantic Ocean and Africa. Initial reports implied that witnesses in Canada had seen a bright object moving fast through the sky on a descending trajectory at 10:20pm EDT. At that time, UARS was in fact passing over Canada. Should those reports be confirmed, the Debris Footprint should be located south of Calgary at ~50°N 114°W based on Orbital Tracking.
Stratcom Data shows that satellite hitting the Atmosphere at 30.9°N 141.1°W over the eastern Pacific Tracking towards North America. Other Data Sources show a specific Re-Entry Time at 4:10 to 4:20 UTC for an Entry Point over the Pacific or North America. Time will tell where and when the Satellite came back to Earth as more data will be analyzed.
Details will be published on this site as soon as information are confirmed.
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NASA expects the abandoned research satellite UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) to re-enter on September 23 or 24, 2011 +/ several hours.
The Satellite was launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-48 in 1991 and completed its mission 6 years ago. At a cost of $750 Million, the Satellite was equipped with sensors to gain knowledge on the erosion of Ozone in the Atmosphere. It also studied other chemicals such as Chlorine and Flourine in the upper atmosphere confirming that chlorofluorocarbons caused the Ozone Hole over Antarctica. At the end of its mission, UARS was placed in a disposal orbit. Its tanks are completely empty, so that a controlled re-entry is not an option. |
 Photo: NASA |
UARS Orbital Altitude Chart
Source: NASA
During re-entry, the 13,000-pound spacecraft will break up and parts of it will burn up in the atmosphere. Some components of the vehicle will hit the ground however. Predicitng where the debris will impact is impossible at this point. The satellite is in an orbit with a 57° inclination, so debris could hit somewhere between 57 degrees north latitude and 57 degrees south latitude. NASA expects the debris to scatter on a 500-mile footprint. About 1,100 pounds of the spacecraft’s systems will survive re-entry and are expected to fall back to earth. NASA identified 26 components of the satellite that will likely survive the environment of re-entry. An Assessment conducted by NASA has issued a 1 in 3,200 chance of UARS injuring or killing a person as the satellite will most likely fall into an ocean. As of September 15, UARS was in a 143 by 158 mile orbit. Four days prior to re-entry, daily updates will be published. Updates will also come at T-12; T-6 and T-2 hours. The updates will come from the Joint Space Operations Center of U.S. Strategic Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Throughout the space age, no man-made space debris has ever injured a person on Earth and it is expected that this will not change when UARS re-enters. UARS has already been a risk to the International Space Station, a Debris Avoidance Maneuver was performed to avert a conjunction with the Satellite on October 26, 2010.
Impacting Objects
| Object | Quantity | Material | Impact Mass | Impact Velocity | |
| High Gain Antenna Gimbal&Retention (Cylindrical) | 1 | Titanium | 59.6lbs | 98.2mph | |
| Forward Bulkhead Fitting (Box) | 4 | Titanium | 54.9lbs | 176.9mph | |
| SSPP Gimbal (Cylindrical) | 1 | Titanium | 133.7lbs | 130.0mph | |
| SSPP Structure (Box) | 1 | Aluminum | 348.0lbs | 98.5mph | |
| Fuel Tanks (Sphere) | 4 | Titanium | 11.4lbs | 57.2mph | |
| Spacecraft Batteries (Box) | 3 | Steel | 101.1lbs | 144.4mph | |
| Reaction Wheel Rims (Cylindrical) | 4 | Steel | 4.4lbs | 240.0mph | |
| FSS Housing (Box) | 1 | Beryllium | 6.9lbs | 174.5mph | |
| FHST Bracket (Box) | 2 | Beryllium | 2.4lbs | 40.85mph | |
| G.F. Abutment Plate (Flat Plate) | 2 | Titanium | 5.1lbs | 31.9mph | |
| G.F. Base Plate (Flat Plate) | 2 | Titanium | 12.2lbs | 80.1mph | |
| G.F. Extension (Cylindrical) | 1 | Titanium | 1.4lbs | 47.9mph | |
| TOTAL | 26 | 1,174lbs |
UARS Re-Entry Profile
Source: NASA
Older UARS Updates
September 23, 2011 - 10:30pm EDT
Current Orbit: 85x90 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23, 11:45pm EDT to Sept. 24, 12:45am EDT
Impact Zone: Canada, Africa, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean
Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies: 01:10am EDT +/- 2 Hours
>> The risk to public safety remains low.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens-Above.com
Current Orbit: 85x90 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23, 11:45pm EDT to Sept. 24, 12:45am EDT
Impact Zone: Canada, Africa, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean
Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies: 01:10am EDT +/- 2 Hours
>> The risk to public safety remains low.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens-Above.com
September 23, 2011 - 7:30pm EDT
Current Orbit: 90x95 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23, 11pm EDT to Sept. 24, 3am EDT
Impact Zone: Canada, Africa, Australia, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, indian Ocean - Accurate estimate at T-2 Hours to Re-Entry.
Re-Entry Times via other sources: Stratcom: 12:49am EDT +/- 4 Hours; Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies: 12:04am EDT +/- 3 Hours
>> The risk to public safety remains low.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens-Above.com
Current Orbit: 90x95 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23, 11pm EDT to Sept. 24, 3am EDT
Impact Zone: Canada, Africa, Australia, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, indian Ocean - Accurate estimate at T-2 Hours to Re-Entry.
Re-Entry Times via other sources: Stratcom: 12:49am EDT +/- 4 Hours; Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies: 12:04am EDT +/- 3 Hours
>> The risk to public safety remains low.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens-Above.com
September 23, 2011 - 11am EDT
Current Orbit: 100x105 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23, 11pm EDT +/- 5 Hours
>>Descent has slowed down due to possible re-orientation of the vehicle.
Impact Zone: Accurate estimate at T-2 Hours to Re-Entry.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens-Above.com
Current Orbit: 100x105 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23, 11pm EDT +/- 5 Hours
>>Descent has slowed down due to possible re-orientation of the vehicle.
Impact Zone: Accurate estimate at T-2 Hours to Re-Entry.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens-Above.com
September 23, 2011 - 7am EDT
Current Orbit: 115x120 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23, 3pm EDT +/- 5 Hours
Impact Zone: The satellite passes various areas of the world in the afternoon hours of September 23.
Update Frequency will increase over the next 36 hours.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens Above (Don't forget to enter your location!)
Current Orbit: 115x120 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23, 3pm EDT +/- 5 Hours
Impact Zone: The satellite passes various areas of the world in the afternoon hours of September 23.
Update Frequency will increase over the next 36 hours.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens Above (Don't forget to enter your location!)
September 21, 2011
Current Orbit: 120x130 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23, 3pm EDT +/- 5 Hours
Impact Zone: The satellite passes various areas of the world in the afternoon hours of September 23.
Update Frequency will increase over the next 48 hours.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens Above (Don't forget to enter your location!)
Current Orbit: 120x130 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23, 3pm EDT +/- 5 Hours
Impact Zone: The satellite passes various areas of the world in the afternoon hours of September 23.
Update Frequency will increase over the next 48 hours.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens Above (Don't forget to enter your location!)
September 20, 2011
Current Orbit: 127x140 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23 +/- 24 Hours
Impact Zone: No prediction. First Prediction is expected on Sept. 21.
Update Frequency will increase over the coming days.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens Above (Don't forget to enter your location!)
Current Orbit: 127x140 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23 +/- 24 Hours
Impact Zone: No prediction. First Prediction is expected on Sept. 21.
Update Frequency will increase over the coming days.
Check for passes over your location during or near the current De-Orbit Prediction via Heavens Above (Don't forget to enter your location!)
September 16, 2011
Current Orbit: 140x155 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23 +/- 24 Hours
Impact Zone: No prediction
Higher Solar Activity is currently increasing orbital decay rate.
Current Orbit: 140x155 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 23 +/- 24 Hours
Impact Zone: No prediction
Higher Solar Activity is currently increasing orbital decay rate.
September 15, 2011
Current Orbit: 143x158 miles
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 24 +/- 24 Hours
Impact Zone: No prediction
Re-Entry Date: Sept. 24 +/- 24 Hours
Impact Zone: No prediction
September 8, 2011
Current Orbit: 152x171 miles
Re-Entry Date: Last Week of September
Impact Zone: No prediction
Re-Entry Date: Last Week of September
Impact Zone: No prediction
