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NEW: Satellite disintegrated in the high atmosphere
The GOCE satellite's orbit has been decaying since it ran out of fuel in late October
The satellite was launched in 2009 to map variations in Earth's gravity
A 2,000-pound European satellite burned up as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere early Monday, controllers reported.
Re-entry was made close to 1 a.m. Monday (7 p.m. ET), the European Space Agency said.
“As expected, the satellite disintegrated in the high atmosphere and no damage to property has been reported,” the space agency said.
The Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer – a European Space Agency satellite known shorthand as GOCE – crossed over Siberia, the western Pacific Ocean, the eastern Indian Ocean and Antarctica upon its re-entry.
The 5-meter (16-foot) satellite was launched in 2009 to map variations in the Earth’s gravity in 3-D, provide ocean circulation patterns and make other measurements.
Powered by solar panels and not-your-average lithium-ion battery, it lasted more than three times its expected lifespan before running out of juice on October 21.
In March 2011, the ESA added another role – as the “first seismometer in orbit” – when GOCE detected sound waves from the massive earthquake that struck Japan.
