deorbited
Came back down
Deorbited means removed from orbit, typically describing a spacecraft or satellite deliberately brought down from its path around Earth or another celestial body.
Objects are deorbited by firing thrusters to slow them, causing atmospheric reentry: The space station was deorbited over the Pacific.
Debris that deorbits naturally burns up or crashes.
Gaseous layer around planets
- heat shieldBarrier against extreme temperatures
- plasmaElectrified matter state
- descentDownward slope or lineage
- trajectoryPath of moving object
thermal protection · hypersonic · drag · ballistic · ablation · friction · aerodynamics · controlled descent
Spacecraft's water landing
- impact zoneArea receiving the blow
- recovery teamGroup retrieving lost items/people
- ground controlEarth-based flight management
- mission controlEarth-based space operations hub
tracking station · landing zone · parachute deployment · flotation devices
Defunct objects orbiting Earth
- fragmentationBreaking into smaller pieces
- collision avoidancePreventing objects from hitting
- trackingMonitoring location over time
- tumblingAcrobatic rolling and flipping
breakup · debris field · radar
Consume with flames
- atmospheric dragFriction from surrounding gases
- end-of-lifeNearing death phase
- decommissionedRemoved from active service
atmosphere
Gaseous layer around planets
- heat shieldBarrier against extreme temperatures
- plasmaElectrified matter state
- descentDownward slope or lineage
trajectory · thermal protection · hypersonic · drag · ballistic · ablation · friction · aerodynamics · controlled descent · burnup
splashdown
Spacecraft's water landing
- impact zoneArea receiving the blow
- recovery teamGroup retrieving lost items/people
- ground controlEarth-based flight management
mission control · tracking station · landing zone · parachute deployment · flotation devices
space junk
Defunct objects orbiting Earth
- fragmentationBreaking into smaller pieces
- collision avoidancePreventing objects from hitting
- trackingMonitoring location over time
tumbling · breakup · debris field · radar
burn up
Consume with flames
- atmospheric dragFriction from surrounding gases
- end-of-lifeNearing death phase
- decommissionedRemoved from active service