Astronomers will control the fall of a “dead” satellite to Earth for the first time: details of the operation
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Astronomers will try to land a “dead” satellite on Earth in a controlled manner. It will enter the Earth’s atmosphere on July 28, reports the European Space Agency (ESA). It is about the old 1,360-kilogram Aeolus satellite, which has been in orbit since 2018. Aeolus was the first satellite to measure Earth’s winds from space, and transmitted data to meteorological centers across Europe. Photo: aapsky/Depositphotos The mission exceeded the planned operational life, but it was closed for another reason – due to a lack of fuel. And now the spacecraft falls to Earth. With the help of the remaining fuel, scientists decided to return Aeolus to Earth in a controlled manner. This operation was divided into 3 stages. The first began on July 24, when Aeolus reached an altitude of 280 km to Earth. Then the astronomers performed a maneuver and brought the satellite closer by another 30 km. Next, several more maneuvers are planned on July 27 and 28: the device should descend from 250 to 150 km, and then to 80 km from the Earth’s surface. “Aeolus was not designed for controlled entry, so under normal conditions the satellite would naturally fall back to Earth within a few months,” the agency said. Astronomers note that Aeolus will burn up to 80% in the atmosphere, and the remains will fall into the Indian Ocean and quickly sink. If this operation is successful, maneuvers for the return of other “dead” satellites will be developed on its basis. “Today we have 10,000 spacecraft in space, of which 2,000 are not working. If we talk about the mass, it is 11,000 tons,” said Holger Krag, head of the ESA’s space debris department, at a press conference. Therefore, scientists emphasize that satellites should be designed in such a way that they can be safely returned to Earth after the end of the mission or the period of operation. It will be recalled that in April 2023, during an air raid in Kyiv, eyewitnesses saw a bright flash. At first it was assumed that it was the work of air defense forces or the landing of an unidentified flying object. It was also assumed that this was the fall of a “dead” NASA satellite weighing 270 kg, but the space agency did not confirm this information. Read also: The satellite recorded the eruption of the Australian volcano near Antarctica: PHOTO
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