Fragments of a defunct Russian military communications satellite, Molniya-1T, fell into the Pacific Ocean Saturday night, according to local media reports.

The Russian state-owned news agency, RIA Novosti, quoted a space agency source as saying that the fragments, which did not burn up in the upper atmosphere, reached the earth's surface before plunging into the Pacific Ocean.

The reports didn't identify the specific location where the satellite fragments might land.

Spokesman of the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin, however, predicted Friday the fragments might hit the Pacific waters at 3:17 a.m. Moscow time Saturday morning and the fragments might fall into the southern area of the Pacific Ocean at around 63 degrees South, 158 degrees East.

The 1.6-tonne satellite was launched in August 1996 and was replaced by the Meridian-series in 2006. The service life of the Molniya-1T satellites is two years.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet