ROSAT Space Telescope

ROSAT Falls To Earth – Exact Location Still Unknown

October 23, 2011

This imge from an animation by Analytical Graphics, Inc., depicts the re-entry of Germany's defunct ROSAT satellite in October 2011. CREDIT: Analytical Graphics, Inc.

The German satellite ROSAT plunged to Earth today (Oct. 22, 2011) after circling Earth in a dead orbit for more than a decade. Officials do not know it’s exact landing place yet. The 2.7-ton Roentgen Satellite, or ROSAT, slammed into Earth’s atmosphere sometime between 9:45 p.m. EDT (0145 GMT Sunday) and 10:15 p.m. EDT (0215 GMT Sunday), according to officials at the German Aerospace Center. “There is currently no confirmation if pieces of debris have reached Earth’s surface,” German aerospace officials said in a statement. The 21-year-old satellite broke apart as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. German aerospace officials estimated...

German Satellite ROSAT Set To Plunge To Earth This Weekend

October 20, 2011

By Michael Muracco

Artist's impression of the ROSAT satellite in space. Image: German Aerospace Center

A defunct German satellite is expected to plunge to Earth this week, but exactly when and where the satellite will fall remains a mystery. The massive German Roentgen Satellite, or ROSAT, is expected to plummet to Earth on Saturday or Sunday (Oct. 22 or 23), though German space officials have also offered a wider re-entry window of between Oct. 21 and Oct. 24. (See Current Position Of The ROSAT X-Ray Space Telescope for more details). This latest falling satellite comes about a month after a dead NASA climate satellite, called the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), plunged into the...

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