A one-ton satellite is predicted to enter the atmosphere and tumble to Earth sometime this week, signifying the end of its usefulness and the time for its destruction. The space probe will follow a common narrative of satellites and other space-bound technology to a T, with only one major twist: no one knows quite where the satellite will fall.

According to a report from the Telegraph, the Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (or GOCE) – a European Space Agency satellite launched in the spring of 2009 and used ever since to meticulously map out Earth’s gravitational field – is expected to break up into 25 or 40 fragments on its way through the atmosphere. Those pieces will then rain down haphazardly on different areas, with the largest one probably weighing in at about 200 pounds. The impacts are expected sometime today, the they could also occur on Monday.

The European Space Agency has claimed that the debris from GOCE could impact pretty much anywhere on Earth, from oceans to deserts to cities. However, most people won’t have to worry too much about a solar panel or a fuel cell crashing through their roof. The Telegraph claims that nearly 100 tons of space junk fall from the sky in any given year, and there are no known instances of space debris injuries. Considering the world’s preponderance of water, most debris splashes down harmlessly in the Atlantic or Pacific oceans.

The GOCE re-entry is more unpredictable than most space debris drops, though the uncontrollable nature of the fall is not due to a lapse in judgment on the European Space Agency’s part. In fact, even before its 2009 launch, mission control specialists knew that GOCE was going to have a rough go of it when the time finally came for re-entry. The satellites propulsion system utilized an ion engine which, unlike the more commonly used satellite thrusters, helped offset atmospheric drag and allowed GOCE to maintain the low orbit it needed to properly measure Earth’s gravitational field.

Essentially, the GOCE satellite ran out of gas for its propulsion system last month, and has since been guided almost exclusively by the forces of gravity and atmospheric drag. The mission manager even compared the satellite to “flying an airplane without an engine,” because he and his team weren’t able to propel it into an orbit that would guarantee a splashdown landing.

Recent predictions expect GOCE to impact sometime this afternoon, most likely in an ocean. However, there is a small chance that pieces of the satellite could end up in North or South America. Any damage caused by the debris will be paid for in full by the European Space Agency and the Russian government, according to Fox News.