Cluster’s encore for reentry science a success

Written by Copernical Team Wednesday, 02 September 2026 09:20

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The Cluster mission danced its final dance as Tango reentered the atmosphere on 1 September, at 23:30:31 CEST. The end of the Cluster mission in 2024 turned into the start of the reentry data collection campaign. After four ‘targeted’ reentries, this is now a proven method of safe end-of-life disposal. It also enabled the repeated observation of the reentries by a plane full of scientists, creating a unique reentry data set that will improve our understanding of the destructive process and can inform the design of safer and more sustainable satellites in the future.

Next up, Draco: reentry observations from the inside

Team waiting for confirmation after Tango reentry

A next goal for ESA’s reentry specialists is to witness a reentry from the inside and see exactly what happens, how, when and where, with reentry mission Draco.

Draco is scheduled for launch in 2027 with the purpose to go through a fiery reentry recording what exactly happens to the satellite. With over two hundred sensors, four cameras and an indestructible capsule to keep the collected data safe, Draco will offer a unique inside perspective of the destructive process.

“To top it off, our reentry scientists will be ready to board a plane once more to witness the event from below. With three practice runs under their belt, the team will be able to link the observations made from the plane to what's happening within Draco at exactly that time,” says Stijn Lemmens, acting head of Space Debris.