Space newspaper quoted the announcement of the European Space Agency (ESA) saying that the ESA-built ADM-Aeolus Earth observation satellite is about to fall back to Earth after 5 years of operation in orbit tonight, July 28 (local time). The Aeolus satellite will stop operating in April 2023.
The Aeolus satellite is 1.9 meters long, 1.74 meters wide, 2 meters high, and weighs about 1.2 tons. Aeolus has been in operation since 2018, as the first satellite capable of measuring the winds on our planet from space.
The Aeolus satellite when it was still operating in orbit at an altitude of 320 km. (Photo: ESA)
Aeolus' mission lasted much longer than the original one-year plan. As a result, the satellite ran out of fuel and fell to Earth at an accelerating rate.
ESA is attempting to steer Aeolus back to safety using the little fuel left inside the craft. The process begins with a series of remote maneuvers that lower the satellite from 280 km to 250 km and put it into an elliptical orbit.
If all goes according to plan, ESA will set Aeolus to crash into the Atlantic Ocean.
According to the ESA, the risk of Aeolus colliding with other spacecraft during navigation is very low. Even if it does happen, it is unlikely to pose a threat, as the area where the satellite will land is largely unpopulated.
The ESA's planned trajectory is to steer Aeolus into the Atlantic Ocean.
“Before any operation, we take into account the scenarios and risks combined with the assessments at that time,” said Isabel Rojo Escude-Cofiner, ESA’s director of spacecraft launch programs.
Of course, just because the satellite landed safely doesn’t mean it will survive. ESA scientists predict that about 80% of Aeolus’s mass will burn up upon contact with Earth’s atmosphere. The remaining 20% will splash down into the Atlantic Ocean and quickly sink to the bottom.
Tra Khanh (Source: Space)
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