The satellite is set to crash back to Earth (Picture YouTube)

A one-tonne satellite is expected to crash back to Earth later, with experts admitting they do not know where it will fall.

The European space craft is expected to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere at some stage on Sunday when it will begin to break up.

It is predicted a quarter of the Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite will survive re-entry.

The European Space Agency has conceded it does not know where the wreckage will fall but insists the debris poses an ‘extremely low’ risk to humans.


The satellite was launched in March 2009 to study the Earth’s gravitational field, ocean circulation and changes in sea level.



However, it has now run out of fuel and has started falling back to Earth.

Satellite-tracking website N2YO.com is following GOCE’s path.

Follow it’s progress here.