Old European satellite plunges harmlessly through the atmosphere over the Pacific

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An old Earth-observing satellite has fallen out of orbit and harmlessly burned up. The European Space Agency says its satellite broke apart over the Pacific on Wednesday, halfway between Hawaii and Alaska. No damage or injuries were reported. Launched in 1995, the spacecraft was retired in 2011. Flight controllers quickly lowered its orbit to avoid hitting other satellites, and natural orbital decay took care of the rest. Its predecessor, which failed and stopped working decades ago, remains in an orbit several hundred miles high.