The European Space Agency has released a photo showing the Aeolus satellite tumbling and burning up as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere at a blazing speed of 16,700 miles per hour.
The Aeolus satellite was launched into space in 2018. It was the first satellite with powerful laser technology capable of observing winds on a global scale.
Over the five-year mission, Aeolus has improved weather forecasts and climate models. According to ESA. But Aeolus was retired in July, at which point it went from being a state-of-the-art satellite to being just a satellite. space junk.
When a nearby satellite becomes useless, it usually goes out of orbit and returns to Earth. burn up in our planet’s atmosphereaccording to NASA.
Indeed, this is what happened in Aeolus, but in a more controlled manner. than typical.
ESA seized the demise of Aeolus as an opportunity to attempt a first-ever reentry maneuver called “assisted reentry,” the ESA said in a statement. statement Tuesday.
How Auxiliary Reentry Makes Satellite Decommissioning Safer
The assisted re-entry maneuver involved a series of deorbits, in which the satellite drifted closer to Earth but remained in orbit.
This will allow ESA to map precisely where the satellite will eventually re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere, helping to reduce the risk of debris that has not completely burned up. land near populated areas.
Ultimately, the ESA calculated that the satellite would be rented and burnt out over Antarctica, far from population centers. About 80% of the satellites burned up and 20% survived reentry, according to the agency. space dot com.
“By changing the nature of Aeolus, uncontrolled re-entry Transitioning to an assisted trajectory and choosing an optimal re-entry trajectory further reduced the already very small risk of surviving debris landing near populated areas by a factor of 150. ” ESA Said.
Additionally, the assisted reentry approach “reduced the time Aeolus was left uncontrolled in orbit by several weeks and limited the risk of collision with other satellites on this critical space highway,” ESA said. said in a statement.
More space junk means more risk, more action needed
That’s it 6,000 As of 2022, there are fewer active satellites in orbit, compared to just under 1,000 in 2010. This means a higher risk of: satellites collideand space junk flies into inhabited places on Earth.
No one has been seriously harmed by space debris, The risks are real and getting bigger The ESA says more satellites are entering Earth’s orbit.
ESA said the more traffic there is in the air, the more likely it is that debris will fall. In particular, satellites that have ceased functioning continue to operate in the skies without direction from Earth.
With these factors in mind, ESA has promised to be more cautious when it comes to space debris. “Making space missions safer is of particular interest to the agency,” ESA said.
Aeolus’ assisted reentry was part of a mission to make satellite reentry safer.
“At Aeolus, as a striking example of sustainable spaceflight and responsible operations, we have stayed on the mission as long as possible and guided the return as far as possible,” said Aeolus Mission Manager Tommaso Palinello in a statement. Stated.
This article was originally published business insider.
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