Artificial Satellites What Goes Up...

What goes up must eventually come down.

When low-Earth orbit satellites drop to a height of 120 kilometers (72 miles), they reenter Earth's atmosphere and quickly burn up.

To the observer, a satellite reentry will look like a meteor. Most satellite reentries are unplanned and cannot be predicted accurately, although several websites do track satellites that have drifted low and are near the "danger zone."