Draco (space mission)

Draco
Mission typeSpace sustainability
OperatorESA
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerDeimos Space
Start of mission
Launch date2027 (planned)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
Altitude< 100 km

Draco (Destructive Reentry Assessment Container Object) is a future spaceflight experiment under development by the European Space Agency (ESA) for launch in 2027. Draco will use a small space capsule to monitor the breakup process of a satellite reentering Earth atmosphere. The project, part of ESA's Space Safety Programme, aims to help the agency's space sustainability-related plans to build more "demisable" satellites that disintegrate entirely during reentry without generating space debris, limiting the environmental impact of spaceflight.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Spacecraft

The Draco satellite, with no propulsion of its own, will be placed into a very low Earth orbit below 100 km of altitude for a rapid uncontrolled reentry within 12 hours. The process of its demise will be monitored by 200 sensors and 4 cameras sending their data to a 40 cm space capsule designed to survive the reentry and transmit all the data during its parachute descent towards ocean landing.[7][8][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "A Satellite Born to Die Is About to Be Launched on a Suicide Mission". SYFY. 2024-09-26. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  2. ^ Pultarova, Tereza (2024-09-25). "Satellite Break-up Experiment to Help ESA Learn How Satellites Die". Payload. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  3. ^ Atalayar (2024-09-25). "ESA commissions Deimos with the DRACO satellite to scrutinise from its entrails how it immolates in orbit". Atalayar. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  4. ^ Shakir, Umar (2024-09-27). "Europe's space agency will destroy a brand-new satellite in 2027 just to see what happens". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  5. ^ Jilete, Beatriz; Lemmens, Stijn; Eynde, Jeroen Van Den; Rosenbaum, Alex; Climent, Sara Sanchis; Beck, James; Loehle, Stefan; Turchi, Alessandro; Sakraker, Isil; Ferreira, José P.; Helber, Bernd; Tarabini-castellani, Lorenzo; Minacapilli, Paolo (2025). "DRACO scientific return concept: determining the truth of satellite demise". 9th European Conference on Space Debris.
  6. ^ "Mitigating space debris generation". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  7. ^ Parsonson, Andrew (2024-09-25). "ESA Awards Contract for Capsule Designed for Destruction". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  8. ^ Harrison, Kerry (2025-10-10). "ESA's Draco Mission Will Brave Fiery Destruction to Study How Satellites Die". Orbital Today. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  9. ^ "Draco mission made for destruction". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
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