On 8 September 2024, the first of the four satellites that make up ESA’s Cluster mission will reenter Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area.

The reentry marks the end of the historic scientific mission, which has spent more than 24 years measuring Earth’s magnetic environment.

Of the four Cluster satellites – nicknamed Rumba (Cluster 1), Salsa (Cluster 2), Samba (Cluster 3) and Tango (Cluster 4) – Salsa will be the first to take the plunge.

In January 2024, the Cluster control team manoeuvred Salsa to target its reentry over a very sparsely populated and remote area in the South Pacific Ocean, to the west of Chile. The satellite will reenter on 8 September without any further assistance.

This is the first time that a ‘targeted reentry’ has been attempted for a satellite in a highly eccentric orbit like Salsa’s and is part of ESA’s ongoing efforts to dispose of its older missions in more safe and sustainable ways than were thought possible at the time of their design.

The end of the Cluster mission also offers a rare chance to study the reentries of four identical satellites at different times and under different conditions. The resulting data will improve our understanding of atmospheric reentry and inform the design of ‘zero-debris’ satellites.

To find out more about the reentry and what we hope to learn from the end of the Cluster mission, see our frequently asked questions page.

Follow this blog for updates. We will also be sharing updates on @esa_Cluster, @esaoperations and @esascience on X, as well as on the ESA Operations and ESA Space Safety LinkedIn pages.