NASA's falling 5-ton satellite UARS 'could land anywhere' on Earth

London, Sept 17 (ANI): A defunct 20-year-old satellite weighing five tonnes that has fallen out of orbit is heading toward Earth and is expected to crash into our planet on or around 24 September, according to NASA.

Nasa says the risk to life from the UARS - Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite - is just 1 in 3,200, reports BBC News.

Hurtling at 5m (8km) per second, it could land anywhere between 57 degrees north and 57 degrees south of the equator - where most of the populated world lies, they said.

However, most of the satellite will break or burn up before reaching Earth.

Scientists have identified 26 separate pieces that could survive the fall through the earth's atmosphere, and debris could rain across an area 400-500km (250-310 miles) wide.

Nasa said scientists would only be able to make more accurate predictions about where the satellite might land two hours before it enters the Earth's atmosphere.

The UARS was launched in 1991 by the Discovery space shuttle, and was decommissioned in 2005. (ANI)