NASA Satellite Plunges Back to Earth

UPDATE Mar 12, 2026 11:35 AM CDT

An old NASA satellite crashed back to Earth early Wednesday over the eastern Pacific, apparently without harming any unlucky Earthlings. The US Space Force said the Van Allen Probe A came in west of the Galapagos Islands after its uncontrolled re-entry at 6:37am Eastern, the AP reports. The spacecraft, most of which was expected to burn up on re-entry, was one of two launched in 2012 to study the Earth's permanent radiation belts. "Van Allen Probe B, the twin of the re-entering spacecraft, is not expected to re-enter before 2030," NASA said.

• NASA put the chances of the falling satellite harming anybody at around 1 in 4,200, higher than the 1 in 10,000 the US government typically allows. "Due to late-stage design changes, the potential risk of uncontrolled reentry increased," a NASA spokesperson told Ars Technica. "After taking into account the mission's scientific benefits and the low risk of harm to anyone on Earth, NASA granted a waiver to address the non-compliance with the US Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices."

Mar 10, 2026 2:07 PM CDT

A long-running NASA mission is about to come crashing home. A satellite named Van Allen Probe A, launched in 2012 to study the radiation belts encircling Earth, is currently expected to plunge back into the atmosphere around 7:45pm Tuesday—though a NASA post cites a 24-hour window of uncertainty. The entry time will be updated. Most of the roughly 1,300-pound craft should burn up, though some pieces may survive.

A post at Space.com points out that any surviving parts are more likely to splash down in the open ocean rather than on land, with NASA calculating the risk to people on the ground at about 1 in 4,200. The probe and its twin, Van Allen Probe B, spent nearly seven years flying through the belts, collecting unprecedented data and even revealing a temporary third belt that can appear during intense solar activity. An unexpectedly strong solar cycle hastened Probe A's return, but Probe B isn't expected to re-enter before 2030.