Spacecraft set to plunge to Earth after wind-mapping mission. Should you be scared?
Having exceeded its planned life in orbit, the 1360-kg Aeolus satellite is running out of fuel. Having ensured that enough fuel remains for a few final manoeuvres, ESA’s spacecraft operators will bring Aeolus back towards earth's atmosphere for its inevitable demise.
After completing its mission, Aeolus has been falling from its operational altitude of 320 km since 19 June. The final manoeuvre is scheduled for Friday 28 July, when a final command will guide Aeolus home from an altitude of 150 km to just 120 km.
Then, the satellite will reenter. At around 80 km, most of the satellite will burn up, but a few fragments may reach Earth’s surface.
If successful, the assisted reentry makes the already very small risk to life from these fragments 42 times smaller. (The general risk from reentering satellites is already very low.
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