Moving satellites to meet a plane for rare reentry data

When satellites eventually fall back down to Earth, they mostly burn up because of the friction caused by the atmosphere. Scientific data about this atmospheric reentry process is urgently needed to design future satellites for a quick, safe and sustainable demise at the end of their mission – reducing risks on the ground and in space.

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully manoeuvred its remaining two Cluster satellites to ensure they can both be observed from a plane as they reenter the atmosphere on 31 August and 1 September 2026.