The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing for an innovative mission that will closely monitor the breakup of a satellite during its fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere. The mission, scheduled for launch in 2027, will involve a specially designed spacecraft called the Destructive Reentry Assessment Container Object, or DRACO, developed by the European technology group Deimos. The goal is to gather critical data on how satellites disintegrate during reentry and to better understand the impact on the environment. DRACO’s mission aims to revolutionise satellite design by providing insights that will help future spacecraft disintegrate more fully upon reentry. This is crucial for reducing space debris and minimising environmental harm. In addition to studying how satellites break apart, the mission will analyse the interaction of debris with Earth's upper atmosphere and the byproducts that are created during these events. While much of the 440-pound (200-kilogram), washing-machine-sized satellite is intended to disintegrate like a typical satellite, it will also carry a specially engineered 15.7-inch (40-centimeter) capsule. The capsule is built to survive the intense conditions of reentry, measuring temperature and force data during the descent. As DRACO reenters the atmosphere, the capsule will deploy a parachute and begin transmitting data from its four cameras and 200 sensors. The valuable information will be sent before the capsule is lost at sea. "Reentry science is an essential element of the design for demise efforts. We need to gain more insight into what happens when satellites burn up in the atmosphere as well as validate our reentry models," said Holger Krag, ESA's head of space safety. He emphasised that the data from DRACO will be key to developing more easily destructible satellites by 2030. This mission is part of ESA’s Zero Debris charter, an ambitious initiative to stop the creation of new space debris by the end of the decade. The agency is no stranger to innovation in this area, having previously led a controlled reentry of its Aeolus mission. Tim Flohrer, head of ESA’s space debris office, added that "DRACO is an exciting mission that will shine a light on many of the unknowns during satellite re-entries." According to Flohrer, the data collected will break the "chicken-and-egg loop" and allow ESA to calibrate systems and models more effectively, advancing the development of zero-debris technology in the near future. Featuring: ESA’s fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle, Albert Einstein, burnt up on 2 November at 12:04 GMT over an uninhabited area of the Pacific Ocean. It left the International Space Station a week earlier with 1.6 tonnes of waste after spending five months attached to the orbital outpost. When: 30 Sep 2024 Credit: ESA/NASA/Cover Images **EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITORIAL STORY. THE USE OF THESE MATERIALS FOR ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. MATERIAL COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH STATED PHOTOGRAPHER AND/OR SUPPLIER.**