▲ Predicted trajectory of passing the Korean Peninsula within the expected range of the crash of the US Earth Observation Satellite ERBS
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the wreckage of the US Earth Observation Satellite 'ERBS', which had been raised as a possibility of a crash on the Korean Peninsula, is estimated to have passed over the Korean Peninsula.
No special damages have been reported to date.
The exact crash site and time are planned to be officially announced by the US Air Force.
The Ministry of Science and ICT initially issued a warning alert at around 7 am, saying that there is a possibility that ERBS may crash near the Korean Peninsula between 12:20 and 1:20 pm today (9th).
About 70 aircraft took off for about 50 minutes at airports across the country during the estimated time of the crash.
ERBS is an Earth observation satellite weighing 2,450 kg that has been launched from the Challenger space shuttle on October 5, 1984 and has been tasked with observing and analyzing the distribution of Earth's heat radiation.
After retiring from active service in 2005, it orbited the earth according to inertia, and was attracted by gravity, gradually approaching the earth, and a fall to the earth was predicted today.
(Photo = Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Yonhap News)