The European Space Agency (ESA) mission Aeolus came to a fiery end when it burned up in Earth's atmosphere. Even in death, the trailblazing spacecraft broke new ground. Aeolus was brought back to Earth as part of a first-of-its-kind guided, safe reentry operation that will help inform future reentry missions.
U.S. Space Command said that the ESA craft entered Earth's atmosphere at around 3 p.m. EDT on Friday (July 28) above Antarctica. The maneuvers ensured that any pieces of Aeolus that didn't burn up in the atmosphere fell harmlessly into the ocean. Speaking at a press conference held on Wednesday (July 19), the head of ESA's Space Debris Office Holger Krag explained that just 20% of the Aeolus satellite was expected to survive reentry, adding there are no plans to recover any of these pieces.
