spacetoday.net: ROSAT reentered over Bay of Bengal

Posted: Wed, Oct 26, 2011, 6:15 AM ET (1015 GMT)
ROSAT illustration (DLR)

A German astronomy satellite whose decaying orbit was a cause of concern reentered Saturday night over the Bay of Bengal, far away from inhabited landmasses, officials said Tuesday. The German space agency DLR said that ROSAT reentered Saturday at 9:50 pm EDT (0150 GMT Sunday) over the Bay of Bengal, although the agency did not give exact coordinates for the reentry. The reentry location was based on data provided by the United States and other countries, DLR said. Engineers expected that 1.6 tons of debris from the x-ray astronomy satellite would survive reentry and reach the surface, creating a 1-in-2,000 chance that someone would be injured by it. There were no reports of anyone observing the reentry, or any damage or injury caused by ROSAT debris.