{"id":55259,"date":"2024-02-22T08:35:08","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T08:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cdae289a-83c9-4872-91b0-6039b3dd3a36"},"modified":"2024-02-22T10:32:32","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T10:32:32","slug":"ers-2-satellite-breaks-up-as-it-enters-earths-atmosphere-over-pacific-ocean","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/ers-2-satellite-breaks-up-as-it-enters-earths-atmosphere-over-pacific-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"ERS-2 satellite breaks up as it enters Earth’s atmosphere over Pacific Ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where ERS-2 will break up, and when, and what its lasting legacy will be. <\/p>

By Iain Todd\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 08:35 AM<\/p>

\n\n

The European Space Agency’s ‘doomed’ ERS-2 satellite re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over the North Pacific Ocean at about 17:17 UTC (18:17 CET) on 21 February.<\/em><\/p>

ESA says “No damage to property (caused by the satellite) has been reported”.<\/p>

The ERS-2 satellite is due to break up as it enters Earth’s atmosphere on 21 February 2024. Credit: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>
ERS-2 was an Earth-monitoring site that launched on 21 April 1995 from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.<\/p>
Throughout its mission the satellite collected data on Earth’s land surface, oceans and polar caps, and was also used to keep track of natural disasters across the globe such as flooding and earthquakes in remote locations.<\/p>
It was one of many Earth-orbiting satellites that monitor climate change<\/a>.<\/p>
$\"An$
An image captured by ESA’s ERS-2 satellite showing flooding of the Elbe River in the area around Hitzacker in Lower Saxony, Germany. Image is composed of an ERS-2 image acquired before flooding (1 July 2005) and an ERS-2 image acquired during flooding (7 April 2006). Credit: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>
In 2011 ESA decided to end ERS-2’s mission and de-orbit the satellite in order to reduce its impact on the region of space around Earth.<\/p>
Space junk<\/a> is considered by many to be a growing problem, as debris from space missions and defunct satellites often remain in Earth orbit and, if left unchecked, could cause problems for future launches.<\/p>
There is also the potential for a cascading of orbital debris to occur, such as that seen in the 2013 spaceflight movie Gravity; an effect known as the Kessler Syndrome.<\/p>
**Where did ERS-2 break up?<\/strong><\/h2>**
$\"ERS-2$
ERS-2’s COIW (centre of impact window) is where the satellite was predicted to break up over Earth. Click on the map to expand. Credit: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>
COIW is the ‘centre of impact window’, showing where ERS-2 would begin to break up.<\/p>
ESA confirmed the satellite broke up over the North Pacific Ocean.<\/p>
A statement from ESA said: “The vast majority of the satellite will burn up, and any pieces that survive will be spread out somewhat randomly over a ground track on average hundreds of kilometres long and a few tens of kilometres wide.<\/p>
“Which is why the associated risks are very, very low.”<\/p>
$\"ERS$
ERS data showing sea-surface temperature. ERS dataset of sea-surface temperature stretches back to 1991. Click to expand. Credit: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Decommissioning ERS-2<\/strong><\/h2>
The decommissioning of ERS-2 was conducted by a ground team at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.<\/p>
Operators initiated 66 ‘de-orbiting manoeuvres’ in July and August 2011, which used up ERS-2’s remaining fuel and lowered its orbital altitude from 785km to 573km.<\/p>
Then in September 2011, the satellite’s batteries and systems were emptied and ‘passivated’, reducing the risk that ERS-2 might break up while still at an orbital altitude used by active satellites.<\/p>
$\"Image$
Image of ESA\u2019s European Remote Sensing 2 satellite (ERS-2) descending through Earth’s atmosphere. Images were captured by cameras on board other satellites by Australian company HEO on behalf of the UK Space Agency. This image of ERS-2 was captured at 23:49 UTC on 29 January 2024. Credit: HEO<\/figcaption><\/figure>
ERS-2 reentry<\/strong><\/h2>
The European Space Agency says ERS-2\u2019s reentry was \u2018natural\u2019, as it was no longer possible to control the satellite.<\/p>
The only thing causing the satellite to slow down and its orbit to ‘decay’, bringing it closer and closer to Earth, was atmospheric drag.<\/p>
“During reentry, the satellite will break up into pieces, the majority of which will burn up,” a statement from ESA said, before the event.<\/p>
“The risks associated with satellite reentries are very low.”<\/p>
$\"Infographic$
Infographic showing the stages of ESA satellite ERS-2’s reentry. Click to expand. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Why ERS-2 was deorbited<\/strong><\/h2>
The key thinking behind the safe deorbiting of ERS-2 was the responsible removal of satellites and other debris from Earth orbit in order to reduce so-called space junk.<\/p>
“There are now thousands of active and defunct satellites orbiting the Earth and ERS-2 is the latest to undertake the return leg of its journey as it re-enters the Earth\u2019s atmosphere,” says Dr James Blake, Research Fellow at the Centre for Space Domain Awareness,\u00a0University of Warwick<\/a>.<\/p>
“This is a fate that awaits uncontrolled satellites and debris that can no longer counteract the drag forces exerted by the Earth\u2019s atmosphere \u2013 indeed, operators are encouraged to speed up the re-entry of their defunct satellites to keep space clear for future missions.<\/p>
\u201cAtmospheric drag is highly influenced by solar activity \u2013 \u2018weather\u2019 from the Sun that affects conditions in the near-Earth environment, where the satellites orbit.<\/p>
“This is still very unpredictable, and so it\u2019s a huge challenge to predict when and where a satellite will re-enter.<\/p>
“Imagery from other satellites in space can supplement observations taken with ground-based sensors to help paint a clearer picture, and it\u2019s exciting to see this technology advance.”<\/p>
$\"An$
An oil slick off Sweden (bottom right) seen by the ERS-2 satellite. Credit: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>
ERS-2 achievements<\/strong><\/h2>
So what did ERS-2 achieve while in Earth orbit, and what is its legacy?<\/p>
“The ERS-2 satellite, together with its predecessor ERS-1, changed our view of the world in which we live,” says Mirko Albani, Head of ESA\u2019s Heritage Space Programme.<\/p>
“It provided us with new insights on our planet, the chemistry of our atmosphere, the behaviour of our oceans, and the effects of humankind\u2019s activity on our environment.”<\/p>
$\"Land$
Land surface hot spots across southeastern Europe from 21 to 26 August 2007, detected by ESA\u2019s ERS-2 satellite and Envisat satellite. Credit: ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>
ERS-2 data can be accessed via ESA\u2019s Heritage Space Programme and provides global records that scientists can use to monitor climate change.<\/p>
ERS-1, the predecessor of ERS-2, ended operations in March 2000 following a omputer and gyro control failure.<\/p>
Throughout the programme, data from both ERS satellites has already supported over 5,000 projects producing about 4,000 scientific publications.<\/p>
$\"ERS-2's$
ERS-2’s final image captured above Rome, Italy, 4 July 2011. Credit: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure> <\/body><\/html>\n
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