14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at the Russian Federal Space Agency (RosCosmos) reconciled themselves to the idea that the Mars-bound Phobos-Grunt spacecraft is lost, and are now waiting for its inevitable fall. According to predictions, the probe will crash in Afghanistan on January 14.
This is only an estimate, the RIA Novosti news agency reports. There is no way of knowing for sure exactly where the probe will hit so many days in advance, but it's highly unlikely that researchers were too wrong in making their predictions.
According to the US Strategic Command, reentry will begin at 2227 GMT, and its current orbit will take the probe at around 30.7 degrees latitude North and 62.3 degrees longitude East. Emergency responders will most likely create a large circular perimeter around this point.
Phobos-Grunt took off last month, and was headed for the diminutive Martian moon Phobos when its main engine failed to start, and take it away from Earth's orbit. Attempts at reestablishing contact with the spacecraft have failed, even though RosCosmos and the European Space Agency tried their best.