Russian satellites caught fire before falling to Earth

A Russian military spy satellite on February 16 caught fire in the process of friction with the atmosphere.

According to Colonel Dmitry Zenin, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Kosmos-1220 satellite caught fire at 17:58 (Moscow time).

The image simulates a military spy satellite on Earth orbit.(Photo: independent.co.uk)

Previously, Kosmos-1220 is expected to rush to Earth and debris from satellites could threaten human life. According to experts, Kosmos-1220 satellite may fall into the Pacific Ocean.

RIA Novosti quoted Colonel Aleksey Zolotukhin, a spokesman for the Russian Air Force, saying their team had monitored the satellite's falling process and thought it could fall somewhere on Earth.

According to Mr. Zolotukhin, the researchers could not determine the exact position and timing of the debris from the satellite because they were constantly changing due to the impact of many external factors.

Kosmos-1220 is the signaling satellite of the former Soviet Union, put into orbit in November 1980. The satellite was launched from the Baikonur space airport base in Kazakhstan and ended its mission in 1982.

According to RT, about 160-400kg of debris from Russian, US and German satellites in the universe fell into the Pacific region. However, they rarely cause serious incidents.