Failed Russian space probe plunging back to Earth

CAPE CANAVERAL: A stranded Russian science satellite, loaded with rocket fuel for a roundtrip mission to Mars, is expected to plunge back to Earth on Sunday, but officials said on Friday they don't know when or where it will hit.

The spacecraft was designed to retrieve soil samples from the Martian moon Phobos, but it became stuck in Earth's orbit after a botched launch on November 8.

Since then, the spacecraft has slowly been losing altitude due to gravity's pull.

The 14-ton spacecraft, which includes about 11 tons of toxic rocket fuel, is expected to re-enter the atmosphere Sunday or Monday, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said in a statement on Friday.

Due to constant changes in Earth's upper atmosphere, which is strongly influenced by solar activity, the exact time and place of the satellite's return is unknown. Predictions on Friday had the satellite, known as Phobos-Grunt, re-entering over the Atlantic Ocean, east of Argentina, around 3:22 p.m. EST (2022 GMT).