NASA’s Van Allen Probe A to Re-Enter Atmosphere
NASA’s Van Allen A probe is expected to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere nearly 14 years after its launch. From 2012 to 2019, the spacecraft and its twin, Van Allen Probe B, flew over Van Allen belts, rings of charged particles trapped by Earth’s magnetic field, to understand how particles were gained and lost. The belts protect Earth from cosmic radiation, solar storms, and continuous solar wind that are harmful to humans and can damage technology. It is therefore important to understand them.
As of March 9, 2026, the U.S. Space Force predicted that the approximately 1,323-pound spacecraft would reenter the atmosphere around 7:45 p.m. EDT on March 10, 2026, with an uncertainty of +/- 24 hours. NASA expects most of the spacecraft to burn up during its journey through the atmosphere, but some components are expected to survive re-entry. The risk of harm to anyone on Earth is low: about 1 in 4,200. NASA and the Space Force will continue to monitor reentry and update forecasts.
Originally designed for a two-year mission, the Van Allen A and B probes were launched on August 30, 2012 and collected unprecedented data on Earth’s two permanent radiation belts – named after scientist James Van Allen – for almost seven years. NASA ended the mission after both spacecraft ran out of fuel and were no longer able to orient toward the Sun.
The Van Allen Probes were the first spacecraft designed to operate and collect scientific data for many years in the Belts, a region around our planet where most spacecraft and astronaut missions minimize time in order to avoid harmful radiation.
The NASA mission, managed and operated by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, made several major discoveries about how radiation belts function over their lifetimes, including the first data showing the existence of a third transient radiation belt, which can form during periods of intense solar activity.
At the end of the mission in 2019, the analysis revealed that the spacecraft would reenter Earth’s atmosphere in 2034. However, these calculations were made before the current solar cycle, which turned out to be much more active than expected. In 2024, scientists confirmed that the Sun reached its solar maximum, triggering intense space weather events. These conditions increased atmospheric drag on the spacecraft beyond initial estimates, resulting in an earlier-than-expected reentry.
Data from NASA’s Van Allen Probes mission continues to play an important role in understanding space weather and its effects. By reviewing archived data from the mission, scientists study the radiation belts surrounding Earth, which are key to predicting the impact of solar activity on satellites, astronauts and even systems on Earth such as communications, navigation and power grids. By observing these dynamic regions, the Van Allen probes have helped improve predictions of space weather events and their potential consequences.
Van Allen Probe B, the returning spacecraft’s twin, is not expected to return until 2030.
