By studying how satellites break up, ESA hopes to design future satellites that fully disintegrate during reentry.
Over the past 70 years, approximately 10,000 satellites and rocket parts have come back to Earth.
However, scientists still do not fully understand how satellites break apart during this process.
Data will also be collected on byproducts created during the breakup process to assess their effects on the atmosphere.
Ultimately, the data collected will help improve computer models of satellite reentry and lead to more zero-debris technologies.
DRACO’s mission will last only about 12 hours.
It will reach a maximum altitude of 1,000 km before reentering the atmosphere over an uninhabited ocean area.
ESA has awarded a contract to the technology company Deimos to develop the satellite.
The DRACO mission will represent a much larger step in reentry science.
