Depleted Battery Pallet from International Space Station Falls Back to Earth
A bundle of depleted batteries from the International Space Station has made its way back to Earth after almost three years of orbiting the planet. On Friday, the pallet of batteries reentered the atmosphere, with most of the debris expected to burn up during reentry. However, there is a possibility that some fragments may have survived and reached Earth’s surface.
This particular incident is unique because it involved a pallet of batteries from the International Space Station, weighing over 2.6 metric tons (5,800 pounds). NASA intentionally sent this space junk on an unguided trajectory towards reentry. Sandra Jones, a NASA spokesperson, assured that a thorough debris analysis assessment was conducted, and it was determined that the reentry would be harmless.
The batteries reentered the atmosphere at 2:29 pm EST (1929 UTC) between Mexico and Cuba. While NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) do not expect any portion of the debris to have survived, Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist, estimated that about 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of debris could have reached the Earth’s surface.
Space debris falling back to Earth is not uncommon, but it is usually derelict satellites or spent rocket stages. The risk of injury or death from spacecraft reentry is extremely low, with falling space debris never having caused any fatalities. According to ESA, the risk of being hit by space junk is about 65,000 times lower than the risk of being struck by lightning.
The battery pallet was released by the space station’s robotic arm on March 11, 2021. It had been adrift in orbit for months and years before gravity finally pulled it back into the atmosphere. The pallet was initially launched inside a Japanese HTV cargo ship in 2020 and carried six new lithium-ion batteries to the International Space Station. These batteries were then installed by the station’s two-armed Dextre robot and astronauts during spacewalks, replacing aging nickel-hydrogen batteries.
NASA’s analysis suggested that the battery pallet would burn up on reentry, but this is not the agency’s preferred method of disposing of trash in low-Earth orbit. Normally, cargo ships departing from the International Space Station bring back tons of trash and surplus equipment intact. However, in this case, since the HTV program ended in 2020 and no other cargo freighters could accommodate the battery pallet, it was left behind.
While the risk of injury or death from falling space debris is low, NASA usually requires launch providers to remove rocket upper stages from orbit or put them on trajectories where they won’t interfere with other spacecraft. This incident highlights the need for proper disposal methods for space junk to ensure the safety of future space missions.
In conclusion, the reentry of the depleted battery pallet from the International Space Station marks a unique event in space debris history. While most of the debris is expected to have burned up during reentry, there is a possibility that some fragments may have reached Earth’s surface. This incident highlights the importance of proper disposal methods for space junk to ensure the safety of future space missions and minimize the risk to human life.