February 21, 2024. This is the planned date for the re-entry of the European Space Agency’s ERS-2 satellite into the Earth’s atmosphere. The reentry time and location is being updated in real time and is currently scheduled for this afternoon in the Pacific Ocean. However, these values have undergone constant changes due to the limited ability to predict the density of the corresponding layers of the Earth’s atmosphere.
The European Remote Sensing Satellite 2 (ERS-2) was launched on April 21, 1995. It was, at that time, the most advanced planetary observing spacecraft ever developed and launched in Europe. According to the European Space Agency, ERS-2 collected a large amount of valuable data on Earth’s land surface, oceans and polar ice caps and was intended to monitor natural disasters such as severe floods or earthquakes in remote parts of the world.
In 2011, ESA decided to stop operating ERS-2 and remove the satellite from orbit. A series of deorbit maneuvers were conducted to ensure that the satellite would safely re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere without colliding with other satellites or space debris, and to ensure that the satellite’s orbit was reduced quickly enough to allow it to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere at within the next 15 years.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
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