ESA title

The mission

Cluster was a constellation of four spacecraft investigating the interaction between the Sun and Earth’s magnetosphere in unparalleled detail. The magnetosphere is our shield against the charged gas that carries particles and magnetic fields outwards from the Sun.

 

  • Launch: 16 July and 9 August 2000
  • Mission end: 8 September 2024
  • Observed: solar wind, magnetosphere
  • Orbit: elliptical around Earth’s poles, a few hundred to 125 000 km altitude
  • Spacecraft names: Rumba, Salsa, Samba and Tango
Cluster

Latest

Cluster satellite reenters Earth's atmosphere
Science & Exploration

Goodnight, Cluster: brilliant end to trailblazing mission

09/09/2024 10670 views 53 likes
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Cluster satellite reentering Earth's atmosphere
Space Safety

Watching Salsa’s reentry live from the sky

26/08/2024 6047 views 31 likes
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Cluster satellite reentering Earth's atmosphere
Science & Exploration

Cluster mission set to end with reentry over South Pacific

22/08/2024 5501 views 45 likes
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Four-satellite Cluster mission
Enabling & Support

Salsa’s last dance targets reentry over South Pacific

26/01/2024 4364 views 36 likes
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Auroral beads
Science & Exploration

Magnetic vortices explain mysterious auroral beads

02/06/2022 3299 views 66 likes
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