Salsa satellite set for fiery re-entry on Sep 8. Rumba, Tango and Samba lined up next

A satellite named Salsa is set to re-enter Earth's atmosphere on September 8. It has been carefully brought down by the operators from 81,250 miles (130,000 km) to return to Earth and burn up over a region of the South Pacific.

Guided re-entries ensure that no debris remains in orbit, nor does it fall over unexpected and populated areas. This is the second satellite to be brought down using a planned and manoeuvred "guided re-entry" afterAeolus.

Salsa has been in orbit since 2000 and is part of a four-piece group called Cluster. The other three satellites are named - Rumba, Tango and Samba. The identical satellites were entrusted with the work of monitoring Earth's magnetic field for two years. However, the satellites are still going strong and sending back data.

By bringing the satellite safely back to Earth, the European Space Agency (ESA) plans to understand more about creating satellites that do not add to space debris.

"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.

Aeolus was manoeuvred from its old orbit at an altitude of 200 miles (320 km) down to 75 miles (120 km). From here, Earth's atmosphere dragged it down and it ended in a fireball over the Atlantic.

Also Read:Chinese rocket blows up in space casting a huge cloud of debris around Earth

Salsa has a more eccentric orbit, and in January a manoeuvre was conducted that will bring it to its nearest point of just 50 miles (80 km) soon. From here, it will fall into the Pacific.

ESA will then bring back Rumba in 2025, followed by Tango and Samba in 2026. It hopes to observe each of them burning up at a different angle.

The problem of space debris

Space debris has emerged as a major problem in the past few years. Earlier, satellites were left to drift away after their purpose was fulfilled. However, space agencies are now working to ensure they do not add to the space debris. If Cluster had retired in 2002 as intended, the four satellites would have been left up in space.

Allowing a satellite to fall to Earth itself assuming it burns up upon re-entry also poses a danger to people as the satellite is still likely to spread debris. A guided re-entry lets operators get it to fall exactly in the place they have in mind. However, ESA says that it is highly unlikely that a defunct satellite will inflict damage. But ESA is still eager to work on guide re-entries.