To limit space pollution, the ESA wants to experiment, with the Aeolus satellite, a new process for its end of mission – which was to map the winds of the planet -, according to BFMTV.
Ordinarily, a satellite falls in an uncontrolled way. There, the scientists kept some gasoline in the Aeolus tank to be able to direct it in its fall into the Earth’s atmosphere. A completely new test. With the goal of landing it in a specific spot in the Atlantic Ocean, where there is little ship traffic and no island.
For this, since Monday, thrusters are activated from time to time to slow down the race. It is this Friday that he must finish his race. While passing through the atmosphere, the satellite will lose a large part of its mass, and will retain only 20%.
If successful, this could serve as a model for future missions. Especially since a new regulation was put in place in 2014, obliging manufacturers to provide for a controlled return of their satellites.