Van Allen Probe A Heads Toward Re-Entry After Pioneering Belt Study
NASA's Van Allen Probe A is on a planned re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere after a mission to study the planet’s radiation belts. The 1,323-pound satellite, launched in 2012 with Van Allen Probe B, is expected to re-enter around 7:45 p.m. EDT on March 10, 2026 (±24 hours); most of it will burn up, but some debris could survive. The mission, originally two years, ran for about seven years and yielded important insights into radiation belts and space weather forecasting, including evidence of a transient third belt. Van Allen Probe B isn’t expected to re-enter until around 2030. The risk to people on Earth remains very low, about 1 in 4,200, and predictions will be updated as conditions change.