BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

No, the sky is not falling, but a seven-ton research satellite that was decommissioned is falling toward earth bound, according to NASA.

The International Business Times reports that NASA expects the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite to fall to earth by late September or early October. Although the Satellite will burn up during re-entry, it still may rain debris over parts of the planet.

NASA said the UARS has been in orbit for six years in a "productive scientific life."

The Telegraph reported that NASA officials warned that pieces could land in densely populated areas in parts of Britain, Europe, North and South America and Asia. NASA claimed there was minimal public safety risk, but they admitted more than half a ton of metal from the satellite could hit the Earth.

Fox News reports the UARS launched in 1991 aboard the space shuttle Discovery and was decommissioned on Dec. 14, 2005. The satellite is 35 feet long and 15 feet wide.

NASA said the exact date of the re-entry is dependent on solar flux and the spacecraft's orientation as the orbit decays. They plan to post regular updates as the UARS nears the Earth.