German media warned of a “rain of batteries” on Thursday. Former ESA boss Wörner warns: “Perhaps the removal will be seen as a beautiful shooting star.”
Jan Wörner, Europe's former space chief, thinks the risk posed by debris from the International Space Station (ISS) battery pack that fell to Earth on Friday is low. “Batteries really want to burn. I assume the pack will burn up almost completely in the atmosphere,” Werner told the German press agency. “Perhaps the removal will be seen as a beautiful shooting star.” It is impossible to win in a populated area.
The object is a platform with battery packs the size of a car and weighing 2.6 tonnes. It will be intentionally separated from the ISS on March 21, 2021, and will enter the atmosphere several years later. For Warner, one thing is certain: Accidents like this should be a reason to finally take action against the dangers from space. “In terms of size, a battery pack is nothing compared to flying uncontrollably in space. We need an early warning system to protect Earth,” said the former head of the European Space Agency (ESA). (APA)
