Old NASA satellite plunges to Earth over Sahara Desert

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

An old NASA satellite that studied the sun has plunged back to Earth. The space agency said Thursday the spacecraft reentered the atmosphere over the Sahara Desert. Officials say they’ve received no reports of damage or injury from the return, which occurred in early morning in Sudan. Experts expected most of the 660-pound satellite, called Rhessi, to burn up. But they said some pieces might survive and slam into the ground. Launched in 2002, Rhessi was turned off in 2018 following a communication problem. Before falling silent, it studied solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun.