On September 8, 2024, the satellite Salsa will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in a carefully managed maneuver. Unlike typical satellite re-entries, Salsa’s descent has been meticulously guided from 81,250 miles (130,000 km) to ensure it burns up over a predetermined region of the South Pacific.
Salsa is part of the Cluster mission, which began in 2000 with four satellites named Salsa, Rumba, Tango, and Samba. These satellites have been monitoring Earth’s magnetic field and, despite an original mission duration of just two years, have continued to provide valuable data for nearly 25 years. With Cluster’s mission concluding, ESA is focusing on safe disposal to manage space debris.
The controlled re-entry approach, first tested with ESA’s Aeolus weather satellite last year, aims to minimize debris in orbit and reduce the risk of potential impacts on populated areas. Salsa’s re-entry, following Aeolus’s model, will help ESA refine techniques for handling defunct spacecraft and contribute to the development of “zero-debris” satellites.
Salsa’s re-entry will serve as a test for future similar operations involving its Cluster counterparts—Rumba in 2025 and Tango and Samba in 2026. These tests are designed to observe how satellites of identical design burn up at different angles during re-entry.
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