The spacecraft will soon burn up in Earth's atmosphere

Nov 9, 2013 10:55 GMT  ·  By

Officials with the European Space Agency (ESA) say that the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), which is widely considered to be the most beautiful satellite ever created, has finally reached the end of its lifetime.

The mission – the first to occupy a free-falling orbit around Earth – endured in space three times longer than originally planned. During its operation, GOCE created a highly-detailed map of our planet's gravitational pull, shedding new light on Earth's internal structure.

In mid-October, the sleek satellite ran out of fuel, and slowly began descending from its orbital perch, at an altitude of 224 kilometers (140 miles). ESA experts estimate that GOCE will burn up high in Earth's atmosphere during the night between November 10-11.

They say that the disintegration process will begin at an altitude of roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles), but add that there is currently no way of determining exactly where any potential debris may fall.