The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to send a satellite into orbit around Earth in 2027 to observe how it is destroyed upon re-entry into the atmosphere. The project aims to help understand how exactly satellites break up so they can learn to prevent the creation of more space debris.
Space debris is becoming a bigger problem as we send more satellites into orbit, but there are efforts to address this problem. This mission is part of ESA's Zero Debris initiative to stop the further creation of space debris by 2030.
The mission is called DRACO (Destructive Reentry Assessment Container Object) and the interior of the satellite will collect data if the spacecraft is destroyed during re-entry into the atmosphere. It will also contain a 40-centimeter capsule designed to survive the destruction and transmit the collected data en route to the sea.
Aerospace company Deimos is awarded the contract to build DRACO, which is about the size of a washing machine and weighs about 200 kg (441 lbs). It will contain 200 sensors and four cameras, but no propulsion or navigation systems. Most of the space debris returning to Earth is uncontrolled anyway, and the aim is to mimic an average re-entry as closely as possible, says the ESA press release.
Getting the data before the capsule hits the water is mission-critical, and there could be challenges such as trying to deploy a parachute as it tumbles into the sky. ESA says there will be a 20-minute window to collect this data.