Goce completes his mission

After more than four years in orbit, mapping the Earth’s gravity, ESA’s GOCE mission is coming to an end. Due to run out of fuel in mid-October, the sleek satellite will begin a natural descent towards the Earth. Most of the spacecraft will burn up in the atmosphere but its re-entry will be closely monitored from the ground. GOCE – or Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer – was the first of ESA’s Earth Explorer missions and has significantly improved our understanding of the Earth’s gravitational field.