Near the Caribbean

Debris from ISS battery crashed into the sea

The discarded battery pack (picture) of the International Space Station ISS has largely burned up over Central America.

(Bild: NASA)

A discarded battery pack from the International Space Station (ISS) has largely burned up over Central America - according to reports, smaller pieces of debris fell into the sea in a corridor between Guatemala and Florida. The battery block entered the Earth's atmosphere at 8.29 p.m. on Friday evening. Parts of Germany and Austria were also in the flight path. 

Debris could also graze the airspace over Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Carinthia, according to statements from the affected state governments on Friday. It was possible that the debris could have caused a flare and a sonic boom.

No damage reported
An impact of fragments on the earth's surface is "extremely unlikely". However, it was difficult to predict exactly where the space debris would burn up on its orbit around the Earth. The re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere ultimately took place roughly where the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico meet. 

Battery pack already decoupled in 2021
The way in which the ISS battery pack was disposed of was entirely intentional. The platform with battery packs - roughly the size of a car and weighing around 2.6 tons - was detached from the ISS in March 2021 with the aim of burning up in the atmosphere years later.

Space debris entering the atmosphere and remnants reaching the Earth's surface happens all the time. The European Space Agency (ESA) writes: "Approximately every week, a large space object re-enters uncontrollably, with the majority of the associated fragments burning up before they reach the ground."

One piece falls to Earth every day
According to the US space agency NASA, an average of one known piece has fallen to Earth every day over the past 50 years. So far, no serious injury or significant property damage has been reported as a result.