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On 8 September 2024,\u00a0Salsa (Cluster 2), one\u00a0of four satellites that make up ESA\u2019s\u00a0Cluster\u00a0mission,\u00a0will\u00a0reenter Earth\u2019s atmosphere\u00a0over the South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area.<\/p>\n
Salsa\u2019s reentry\u00a0marks the end of the historic\u00a0Cluster mission, over 24 years after\u00a0the quartet was sent into space to measure Earth\u2019s magnetic environment. Though the remaining three satellites will also stop making scientific observations, discoveries using existing mission data are expected for years to come.<\/p>\n
This \u2018targeted reentry\u2019 is the first of its kind, and goes well beyond international standards.\u00a0ESA is committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of space activities by mitigating the creation of space debris wherever possible and ensuring the safest possible reentry of its satellites at the end of their lives.<\/p>\n
A targeted reentry\u00a0involves manoeuvring a satellite months to years in advance to line it up\u00a0for a limited geographical region,\u00a0where\u00a0it\u00a0reenters\u00a0the atmosphere at a specific time. It does not require the spacecraft to be controlled during the reentry itself.\u00a0Salsa\u2019s reentry marks the\u00a0first time that anyone has targeted the\u00a0demise\u00a0of a satellite with an eccentric orbit in this way.<\/p>\n
Not much of the 550 kg satellite is expected to\u00a0endure, with most fragments burning up around 80 km above Earth\u2019s surface. Some parts might partially survive the high friction and fragmentation.<\/p>\n
The end of the Cluster mission also offers a rare chance to study the reentries of four identical satellites at different times and under different conditions. The resulting data will improve our understanding of atmospheric reentry and inform the design of \u2018zero-debris\u2019 satellites.<\/p>\n
Leading up to and during Salsa\u2019s reentry we\u00a0are\u00a0providing updates via the\u00a0Rocket Science\u00a0blog, and the\u00a0@ESA_Cluster<\/a>,\u00a0@esaoperations<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0@esascience<\/a>\u00a0Twitter accounts.<\/p>\n More on Salsa\u2019s reentry<\/p>\n Salsa reentry FAQs<\/p>\n More on the Cluster mission<\/p>\n Access the related broadcast quality footage.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \t\t\t