GOCE Mission Comes to an End

After having mapped the Earth’s Gravity, the ESA GOCE mission has run out of fuel.

After having mapped the Earth’s Gravity, the ESA’s Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) has run out of fuel, and its mission has ended.

According to the ESA the craft’s gradiometer, an instrument which maps an objects gravity in 3D, was the first of its kind in space. Over the course of its 4 year mission GOCE has created a 3D map of the Earth gravitational field and also stitched together accurate measurements of world ocean levels.

“This innovative mission has been a challenge for the entire team involved: from building the first gradiometer for space to maintaining such a low orbit in constant free-fall, to lowering the orbit even further,” said Volker Liebig, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programs.

“The outcome is fantastic. We have obtained the most accurate gravity data ever available to scientists. This alone proves that GOCE was worth the effort – and new scientific results are emerging constantly.”

Although the crafts fuel has run out, data acquisition will continue for a few more weeks. After all of its data has been collected GOCE will be powered down and eventually most of its components will burn up as it reenters Earth’s atmosphere.  ESA scientists have yet to determine when or where the craft will reenter the atmosphere, however, the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee will monitor the situation and issue reentry predictions.

Images Courtesy of the ESA