The ESA is preparing to launch a satellite mission called DRACO in 2027 to study what happens when satellites burn up as they reenter Earth’s atmosphere. The.
In a nutshell: The European Space Agency aims to reduce the amount of space junk orbiting the planet through its Zero Debris approach, with a deadline set for 2030. Studying satellite reentries will help ESA achieve this goal and lead to more environmentally friendly spacecraft designs in the future.
The ESA is preparing to launch a satellite mission called DRACO in 2027 to study what happens when satellites burn up as they reenter Earth’s atmosphere. The mission is part of the ESA’s Zero Debris approach, which aims to stop the creation of new space debris by 2030. By studying how satellites break up, ESA hopes to design future satellites that fully disintegrate during reentry.
Over the past 70 years, approximately 10,000 satellites and rocket parts have come back to Earth. However, scientists still do not fully understand how satellites break apart during this process.
The DRACO satellite, which will not have any propulsion or navigation systems, will rely on the steering capabilities of the rocket it is launched with to align itself for a swift reentry.
