On Sept. 8, 2024, a satellite named Salsa will re-enter the atmosphere and burn up. What makes this re-entry different is that its operators have carefully guided it down from 81,250 miles (130,000 km) to burn up safely over a hand-picked region of the South Pacific — if all goes to plan.
Salsa will be the second satellite to meet its end in a planned and maneuvered "guided re-entry," following the reentry of ESA's Aeolus weather satellite last year. Such reentries could help satellite operators prevent debris from either floating in orbit or falling to Earth over unexpected and potentially populated areas.
