By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . The GOCE satellite is expected to meet its fiery death in the next few days as it plunges to Earth - but no one knows where it will land. The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) has been in its low Earth orbit for an extra two-and-a-half years on its planned mission. About 40 tonnes of manmade space debris reach the ground per year, but the spread and size mean the risk of an individual being struck is lower than being hit by a meteorite. Scroll down for video... With a sleek, aerodynamic design responsible for it being dubbed the 'Ferrari of space', GOCE has mapped variations in Earth's gravity with extreme detail . Full name: Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer . Launched: 17 March 2009 . Number of instruments: 3 . Nominal life: 20 months . Mission cost: €350 million (£295 million) Orbit: about 260 km altitude, polar, Sun-synchronous . Mass: 1100 kg . Size: 5.3 m long, about 1m body diameter . With a sleek, aerodynamic design . responsible for it being dubbed the ‘Ferrari of space’, GOCE has mapped . variations in Earth’s gravity with extreme detail. After . more than four years on its mission, the one-tonne GOCE satellite will . fall rapidly through the atmosphere, burning up as it descends. In an update earlier this week, the ESA Space Debris Office said GOCE was at at an altitude of 192km, having run out of fuel on 21 October . It added that the spacecraft is still fully functional with good attitude control. 'Interesting days may lie ahead, as several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are expected to reach our planet, which may spark storms in Earth's geomagnetic field and hence lead to a large increase in the atmospheric drag at GOCE's altitude,' said GOCE operations manager Christoph Steiger in a blog post. This is the first uncontrolled re-entry of a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite since 1987. At a height of 224km, GOCE's orbit is so low that it experiences drag from the outer edges of . Earth's atmosphere. The satellite's streamline structure and use of . electric propulsion system counteract atmospheric drag to ensure that . the data are of true gravity. While most of GOCE will disintegrate in the atmosphere, ESA expects that around 25 per cent might reach Earth’s surface. When . and where these parts might land cannot yet be predicted, but the . affected area will be narrowed down closer to the time of re-entry. Taking into account that two thirds of Earth is covered by oceans and vast areas are thinly populated, the danger to life or property is very low. The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) has been orbiting Earth since March 2009 at the lowest altitude of any research satellite. During its mission, it has produced a unique model of the ‘geoid’, which is essentially a virtual surface where water does not flow from one point to another. During its mission, GOCE has produced a unique model of the geoid, which is essentially a virtual surface where water does not flow from one point to another. The colours in the image represent deviations in height from an ideal geoid. The blue shades represent low values and the reds/yellows represent high values . Around mid-October, the mission will come to a natural end when it runs out of fuel and the satellite begins its descent towards Earth from a height of about 224km. Re-entry is expected to happen about three weeks after the fuel is depleted. An international campaign is monitoring the descent, involving the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee. The situation is being continuously watched by the European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office, which will issue re-entry predictions and risk assessments.
GOCE has spent 4 years mapping Earth’s gravity with incredible precision .
Return will be the first uncontrolled re-entry of an ESA satellite since 1987 .
The risk of an individual being struck is lower than being hit by a meteorite .
Around 25 per cent of the satellite's parts are expected to hit Earth .
By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . The GOCE satellite is expected to meet its fiery death in the next few days as it plunges to Earth - but no one knows where it will land. The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) has been in its low Earth orbit for an extra two-and-a-half years on its planned mission. About 40 tonnes of manmade space debris reach the ground per year, but the spread and size mean the risk of an individual being struck is lower than being hit by a meteorite. Scroll down for video... With a sleek, aerodynamic design responsible for it being dubbed the 'Ferrari of space', GOCE has mapped variations in Earth's gravity with extreme detail . Full name: Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer . Launched: 17 March 2009 . Number of instruments: 3 . Nominal life: 20 months . Mission cost: €350 million (£295 million) Orbit: about 260 km altitude, polar, Sun-synchronous . Mass: 1100 kg . Size: 5.3 m long, about 1m body diameter . With a sleek, aerodynamic design . responsible for it being dubbed the ‘Ferrari of space’, GOCE has mapped . variations in Earth’s gravity with extreme detail. After . more than four years on its mission, the one-tonne GOCE satellite will . fall rapidly through the atmosphere, burning up as it descends. In an update earlier this week, the ESA Space Debris Office said GOCE was at at an altitude of 192km, having run out of fuel on 21 October . It added that the spacecraft is still fully functional with good attitude control. 'Interesting days may lie ahead, as several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are expected to reach our planet, which may spark storms in Earth's geomagnetic field and hence lead to a large increase in the atmospheric drag at GOCE's altitude,' said GOCE operations manager Christoph Steiger in a blog post. This is the first uncontrolled re-entry of a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite since 1987. At a height of 224km, GOCE's orbit is so low that it experiences drag from the outer edges of . Earth's atmosphere. The satellite's streamline structure and use of . electric propulsion system counteract atmospheric drag to ensure that . the data are of true gravity. While most of GOCE will disintegrate in the atmosphere, ESA expects that around 25 per cent might reach Earth’s surface. When . and where these parts might land cannot yet be predicted, but the . affected area will be narrowed down closer to the time of re-entry. Taking into account that two thirds of Earth is covered by oceans and vast areas are thinly populated, the danger to life or property is very low. The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) has been orbiting Earth since March 2009 at the lowest altitude of any research satellite. During its mission, it has produced a unique model of the ‘geoid’, which is essentially a virtual surface where water does not flow from one point to another. During its mission, GOCE has produced a unique model of the geoid, which is essentially a virtual surface where water does not flow from one point to another. The colours in the image represent deviations in height from an ideal geoid. The blue shades represent low values and the reds/yellows represent high values . Around mid-October, the mission will come to a natural end when it runs out of fuel and the satellite begins its descent towards Earth from a height of about 224km. Re-entry is expected to happen about three weeks after the fuel is depleted. An international campaign is monitoring the descent, involving the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee. The situation is being continuously watched by the European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office, which will issue re-entry predictions and risk assessments.
risk of an individual being struck is lower than being hit by a meteorite. Scroll down for (CMEs) are expected to reach our planet, which the first uncontrolled re-entry of a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite since 1987. At a around 25 per cent might reach Earth’s surface. mission, GOCE has produced a unique model of the