Next up, Draco: reentry observations from the inside

A next goal for ESA’s reentry specialists is to witness a reentry from the inside and see exactly what happens, how, when and where, with reentry mission Draco.

Draco is scheduled for launch in 2027 with the purpose to go through a fiery reentry recording what exactly happens to the satellite. With over two hundred sensors, four cameras and an indestructible capsule to keep the collected data safe, Draco will offer a unique inside perspective of the destructive process.

“To top it off, our reentry scientists will be ready to board a plane once more to witness the event from below. With three practice runs under their belt, the team will be able to link the observations made from the plane to what's happening within Draco at exactly that time,” says Stijn Lemmens, acting head of Space Debris.