WASHINGTON, Jan 31: A 7,000 pound (3,200 kg) US satellite plummeted to Earth over central Egypt on Wednesday, but it was not known whether any spacecraft debris struck the ground, US Space Command said on Thursday.

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer, which was launched in 1992, entered the Earth’s atmosphere in an uncontrolled descent at about 11:15 p.m. EST (0415 GMT), according to the US Space Command’s control centre in Colorado Springs.

“The object entered the atmosphere over central Egypt. The object was not designed to survive or re-enter intact and was expected to break up and mostly burn up in the atmosphere,” US Space Command spokesman said.

Unlike many other satellites, such as the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory which was safely brought down on June 4, 2000, the EUVE did not have an on-board propulsion system to allow engineers to control its reentry.

Kusy said it was unclear whether any satellite debris, consisting largely of titanium or stainless steel, had survived re-entry and reached the ground.

“We don’t know whether it hit the ground in Central Egypt or not,” said Kusy, adding that during reentry objects could travel several thousand miles from the calculated reentry point.

However, he said it was rare for objects to survive when they burned up in the atmosphere and that it could be a long time before anyone reported finding pieces of debris.—Reuters