The pioneering European Space Agency’s second Earth remote sensing satellite, ERS-2, has descended from orbit and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over the North Pacific Ocean. The satellite, a trailblazer in Earth observation, was operational for 16 years before being decommissioned in 2011 to mitigate space debris. Its re-entry marks a significant event as it has avoided adding to the growing problem of space junk.
- The European Space Agency’s ERS-2 satellite has re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over the North Pacific Ocean, between Alaska and Hawaii.
- ERS-2 was described as one of the grandfathers of Earth observation, launched in 1995, and was expected to last three years but remained operational for 16 years.
- The satellite was decommissioned in 2011 to reduce the risk of space debris, despite still functioning well at that time.
- ERS-2 provided significant data that helped understand the Earth’s oceans, land cover, atmospheric chemistry, and the melting ice caps.
- The re-entry of the satellite was a controlled maneuver to prevent it from becoming space junk and potentially causing incidents with other satellites.
- The successful re-entry is considered a significant success for the ESA’s efforts in managing space debris and maintaining sustainable space environments.
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current state with its current name on New Year’s Day 1927.
AllSides Media Bias Rating: Center
https://www.allsides.com/news-source/bbc-news-media-bias
Official website: https://www.bbc.com/
Original video here.
This summary has been generated by AI.