ERS-2 reentry – summary
ESA » Rocket Science
by Josh
3w ago
At approximately 18:17 CET (17:17 UTC) on Wednesday 21 February 2024, ESA’s ERS-2 satellite completed its atmospheric reentry over the North Pacific Ocean.  We followed the reentry before, during and after on this blog, on social media, and on the ESA website. This post offers a brief retelling of the final days of the reentry story and some previously unshared images to round off our coverage. The four images below link to background and major milestones of the ERS-2 reentry story to get you up to speed. They cover the mission, the facts, the reasoning for deorbiting the satellite ..read more
Visit website
ERS-2 spotted in orbit by other satellites
ESA » Rocket Science
by Josh T
1M ago
ESA’s European Remote Sensing 2 satellite (ERS-2) was recently spotted tumbling as it descends through the atmosphere. These images were captured by cameras on board other satellites in January and early February 2024 by Australian company HEO on behalf of the UK Space Agency. Read the full article on the ESA website for more information on how and why these images were taken ..read more
Visit website
ERS-2 reentry – live updates
ESA » Rocket Science
by Josh T
1M ago
*This post provides live updates from ESA’s Space Debris Office on the atmospheric reentry of ESA’s ERS-2 satellite. New updates will be added at the top of this page, so check back daily for the latest.* For more information on ERS-2 and this reentry, see our ‘ERS-2 reentry – homepage’ and ‘ERS-2 reentry – frequently asked questions’ pages. Data direct from ESA’s Space Debris Office can be found here (free user account required to view). As of 12:00 CET, 5 February 2024, reentry is predicted between 16 and 22 February. *More information will be shared here shortly ..read more
Visit website
ERS-2 reentry – homepage
ESA » Rocket Science
by Josh T
1M ago
The mission launched on 21 April 1995. At the time, it was the most sophisticated Earth observation spacecraft ever developed and launched by Europe. Together with the almost-identical ERS-1, it collected a wealth of valuable data on Earth’s land surfaces, oceans and polar caps and was called upon to monitor natural disasters such as severe flooding or earthquakes in remote parts of the world. ERS-2 data are still widely used today and kept accessible through ESA’s Heritage Space Programme. More information about ERS-2 mission achievements can be found here. In 2011, after 16 years of op ..read more
Visit website
Aeolus reentry: live
ESA » Rocket Science
by Rosa Jesse
8M ago
*This post provides live updates from ESA’s Main Control Room in Darmstadt, Germany, as engineers and operators guide Aeolus home. New updates will be added at the top of the page, so check back daily for the latest.* D ay 1: first manoeuvre tests large, low-altitude thruster firing 24 July 2023. Manoeuvre #1 successfully completed! The first Aeolus reentry manoeuvre has been successfully performed – the largest thruster firing in the mission’s five years in orbit, and more than three times the size of those executed during routine operations. Today’s thruster burns, one large and one small, i ..read more
Visit website
Earth, Wind and Fire: the Sun’s impact on Aeolus reentry
ESA » Rocket Science
by Rosa Jesse
9M ago
It’s a story with all the elements. Our fiery Sun has been making life more complicated for teams attempting to guide ESA’s wind mission as it falls back to Earth, targeting any surviving debris at the sea. Frequent solar storms, like flares and coronal mass ejections, have an impact on Earth’s infrastructure; from power grids on Earth’s surface to satellites in orbit and even missions flying across the Solar System. Large solar flare spotted by the ESA/NASA SOHO satellite on 18 July 2023 When it comes to flying missions around Earth, solar storms increase the density of Earth’s upper atmosphe ..read more
Visit website
Aeolus assisted reentry: when and where
ESA » Rocket Science
by Peter Bickerton
9M ago
ESA’s keeper of the winds is coming home. After completing its mission, Aeolus has been falling from its operational altitude of 320 km since 19 June. Operators at ESA mission control in Germany have been keeping a close eye on Aeolus. As soon as it reaches 280 km on Monday 24 July, using the last of Aeolus’ fuel, the first of several critical manoeuvres will be performed to steer ESA’s wind satellite slowly back to Earth. The final manoeuvre is scheduled for Friday 28 July, when a final command will guide Aeolus home from an altitude of 150 km to just 120 km. Then, the satellite will reenter ..read more
Visit website
Aeolus reentry behind the scenes: flying a satellite
ESA » Rocket Science
by Peter Bickerton
9M ago
Aeolus will return to Earth in a matter of weeks. In its short lifetime of just under five years, the satellite has orbited Earth at 320 km to measure global winds using a laser. Keeping Aeolus orbiting so close to Earth has been a challenge. The atmosphere at this altitude is constantly nagging at the satellite, with wispy gas dragging it down. Solar weather complicates things, charged particles making the atmosphere soupier. Then there’s space debris! In 2019, Aeolus had to swerve out of the way of the Starlink constellation of satellites. It requires constant monitoring. Introducing Libe Ja ..read more
Visit website
Aeolus reentry behind the scenes: ALADIN’s engineer
ESA » Rocket Science
by Peter Bickerton
9M ago
ESA’s wind mission, Aeolus, will soon return to Earth in a first-of-its-kind assisted reentry. In the coming weeks we will interview some key members of the Aeolus team to discover more about flying and operating one of the most successful missions ever flown by ESA – and the pioneering attempt to bring it home. Introducing Trismono Candra Krisna Since 2021, Trismono Candra Krisna has worked as the Aeolus Instrument Performance Engineer at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. He has played a key role in the Aeolus mission, recently coordinati ..read more
Visit website
Aeolus begins its journey home
ESA » Rocket Science
by Josh Tapley
9M ago
The countdown is truly on now for Aeolus as it begins its journey home. This week marks a significant milestone in the reentry process. End-of-life tests have ended. Aeolus will now start to naturally descend as Earth’s atmosphere and gravity combine to drag the satellite down from an altitude of 320 km to 280 km. ESA’s Aeolus satellite begins its descent into the atmosphere. Copyright: ESA–EOGB | Earth Observation Graphic Bureau How long this takes will depend on several factors, including solar activity, which has been ramping up in recent months. It was increasing doses of space weather, al ..read more
Visit website

Follow ESA » Rocket Science on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR