What happens when a satellite falls?
Nothing in low orbit stays there forever. Traces of atmosphere slow every satellite; the orbit spirals down until the object hits dense air at ~28,000 km/h and — usually — burns up as a spectacular artificial meteor. On average, one tracked object re-enters every day.
The fall is slow, the end is fast
From 400 km, an uncontrolled satellite takes years to decay; from 200 km, days. The final plunge lasts minutes: compression of the air ahead of the object (not friction, mostly) heats it beyond 1,600 °C, tearing it into a train of glowing fragments visible across hundreds of kilometres.
Does anything reach the ground?
Typically 10–40% of a satellite's mass survives — dense parts like titanium tanks and reaction wheels. The risk to people is tiny (oceans cover 71% of Earth), and modern satellites like Starlink are designed for full demise. Large stages are steered into the 'spacecraft cemetery' in the remote South Pacific.
Cosmik tracks decaying objects and can alert you before a re-entry you might see — the 🔥 Reentry alert category. See the objects predicted to re-enter next.
Frequently asked questions
Do satellites burn up completely on reentry?
Small ones usually do — friction at 7.8 km/s turns them into a brief artificial meteor. Larger objects (rocket stages, stations) can drop surviving fragments, which is why controlled reentries aim for the empty South Pacific.
How often do satellites fall to Earth?
Almost daily, counting debris — several hundred tracked objects reenter every year. Nearly all burn up unseen over ocean; the spectacular visible ones make headlines a few times a year.
What did I just see burning across the sky?
A slow, fragmenting fireball lasting 20+ seconds that travels flat across the sky is very likely a reentry (meteors are faster and briefer). Check Cosmik — decaying satellites are flagged before they come down.
Keep exploring
See it yourself tonight
Theory is better with a sky. Get the next ISS pass times over New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin or Sydney — or any of 550+ cities. Aurora hunter? Check tonight's forecast for your city.
