 has spent the past six days guiding the 1.3-ton Aeolus wind satellite into ever-decreasing orbits so that it will enter the atmosphere over the Atlantic Ocean. Although it is hoped the craft will burn up on entry, the team wanted to make sure that it would be well away from land should any debris survive the fiery descent. In the past, defunct satellites were either left in space as junk, or gradually fell out of orbit which raised the risk they could hit something on the way down, increasing debris. But space agencies are increasingly concerned about the amount of space debris and ensuring that satellites come back to Earth under control, so the ESA was forced to come up with a new plan to bring Aeolus home.){kind=link}
Aeolus wind-monitoring craft brought back from orbit in controlled re-entry over Atlantic
A defunct weather satellite was steered back to Earth on Friday in a first-of-its-kind mission designed to prevent space junk and stop an out-of-control landing.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has spent the past six days guiding the 1.3-ton Aeolus wind satellite into ever-decreasing orbits so that it will enter the atmosphere over the Atlantic Ocean.
Although it is hoped the craft will burn up on entry, the team wanted to make sure that it would be well away from land should any debris survive the fiery descent.
In the past, defunct satellites were either left in space as junk, or gradually fell out of orbit which raised the risk they could hit something on the way down, increasing debris.