Cluster’s final mission: European satellite Salsa to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere after 24 years – Times of India

ESA’s European Space Agency’s (ESA) Cluster mission‘s satellite Salsa, which was launched in 2000, is ending its mission after 24 years of studying Earth’s magnetic field and is all set for a dramatic return to Earth on September 8, 2024.
The mission was initially expected to last two years but continued for 24 years. Salsa is one member of a four-piece group called Cluster with three other identical satellites, Rumba, Tango, and Samba.
As part of a carefully planned operation to prevent space debris, ESA is taking a proactive approach to retiring the cluster satellites.Salsa will re-enter the atmosphere over the South Pacific, burning up as it descends from its high orbit of 81,250 miles (130,000 km), reflecting ESA’s commitment to responsible space asset management.
“By studying how Salsa burns up, which parts might survive, for how long, and in what state, we will learn much about how to build ‘zero-debris’ satellites,” said Tim Flohrer, head of ESA’s Space Debris Office, in a statement. This careful monitoring can help ESA refine designs for future spacecraft to ensure they don’t contribute to space debris.
Salsa’s re-entry marks the start of this process for the Cluster satellites. This isn’t ESA’s first attempt at a “guided re-entry.” ESA’s first guided re-entry occurred last year with the Aeolus weather satellite, which descended from 200 miles to 75 miles before burning up over the Atlantic Ocean. These controlled re-entries are part of ESA’s efforts to reduce space debris.
Rumba is expected to follow in 2025, with Tango and Samba re-entering in 2026. These planned re-entries are also part of an experiment to see how the identical satellites behave when they re-enter the atmosphere at different angles. This will help ESA improve its approach to safely bringing down old satellites.
What sets Salsa’s re-entry apart is its highly eccentric orbit, which ranges from just 60 miles (100 km) to over 81,000 miles (130,000 km) above Earth. In January, Salsa executed a manoeuvre that will bring its lowest point of orbit down to just 50 miles (80 km), setting it on course for a fiery descent over a remote part of the South Pacific later this month.
As ESA continues to guide these satellites safely back to Earth, the agency is making strides in reducing space debris and enhancing the safety of future missions.