( CNN ) -- A 2,000-pound European satellite burned up as it re-entered Earth 's atmosphere early Monday , controllers reported . Re-entry was made close to 1 a.m. Monday ( 7 p.m . ET ) , the European Space Agency said . `` As expected , the satellite disintegrated in the high atmosphere and no damage to property has been reported , '' the space agency said . The Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer -- a European Space Agency satellite known shorthand as GOCE -- crossed over Siberia , the western Pacific Ocean , the eastern Indian Ocean and Antarctica upon its re-entry . The 5-meter ( 16-foot ) satellite was launched in 2009 to map variations in the Earth 's gravity in 3-D , provide ocean circulation patterns and make other measurements . Powered by solar panels and not-your-average lithium-ion battery , it lasted more than three times its expected lifespan before running out of juice on October 21 . In March 2011 , the ESA added another role -- as the `` first seismometer in orbit '' -- when GOCE detected sound waves from the massive earthquake that struck Japan .
NEW : Satellite disintegrated in the high atmosphere . The GOCE satellite 's orbit has been decaying since it ran out of fuel in late October . The satellite was launched in 2009 to map variations in Earth 's gravity .