07/09/2026
🚀 What happens to a satellite when it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere?
On 31 August and 1 September 2026, the final two satellites of ESA’s Cluster II mission, Samba and Tango, made controlled re-entries over the South Pacific.
As part of the international ROSIE mission, researchers from the IRS observed the events from a specially equipped aircraft. 🔬 Using cameras and spectroscopic instruments, they captured how the satellites heated up, broke apart, melted and vaporized during re-entry.
The data will help improve our understanding of re-entry processes and models for future space missions - contributing to safer and more sustainable spaceflight. 🌍
👥 The Samba–Tango team with the Falcon 900 aircraft modified for the ROSIE mission, before the transfer flight to Tonga.
📸 Image credit: Astros Solutions/ROSIE
🔥 An ESA Cluster II satellite re-enters Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific (uninhabited area). Artist’s rendering.
📸 Image credit: David Ducross/ESA
🔬 Stefan Löhle and David Leiser from the IRS install, calibrate and test their measurement instrument.
📸 Image credit: HEFDiG/IRS
🛠️ Instruments developed by the IRS’s HEFDiG group for the ROSIE mission were integrated into the Falcon 900.
📸 Image credit: IRS/HEFDiG
👀 The re-entries of “Samba” (left) and “Tango” (right), observed as part of the ROSIE mission.
📸 Image credit: ESA/ROSIE/University of Stuttgart/HEFDiG
🛰️ The trajectories of “Samba” and “Tango” were calculated to precisely position the ROSIE team aboard the Falcon 900 for the re-entries.
📸 Image credit: ESA
