A 1,300-Pound NASA Probe Will Make an Uncontrolled Plunge Through Earth’s Atmosphere Today

A NASA probe tasked with gathering data on Earth’s radiation belts has run out of fuel and is set to reenter through the atmosphere on Tuesday. NASA’s Van Allen Probe A is expected to re-enter the atmosphere at approximately 7:45 p.m. ET on March 10, according to data provided by the U.S. Space Force. The space agency expects most of the spacecraft to burn up during its journey through the atmosphere, but some parts may survive the uncontrolled reentry. Although the risk of harm to anyone on Earth is low, it’s not exactly zero. The probe launched in August 2012 along with its twin, Van Allen Probe B, to study the two permanent radiation belts around Earth. The two probes were originally designed for a two-year mission but ended up spending nearly seven years gathering unprecedented data on charged particles passing through Earth’s magnetic field. NASA deactivated the two spacecraft in 2019 after they ran out of fuel and were no longer able to orient themselves toward the Sun. At the time, it was predicted that the spacecraft would reenter through Earth’s atmosphere in 2034. Those calculations, however, were made before the ongoing solar cycle, which has proven far more active than

Mar 10, 2026 → Mar 22, 2026