The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected NorthStar Earth & Space to lead a study on uncontrolled atmospheric re-entry.
NorthStar’s European subsidiary will lead a consortium for ESA’s Forecasting of Atmospheric Location and Chronology of Re-entry (FALCON) initiative, the company announced Monday. The consortium will assess the limitations of uncontrolled atmospheric re-entry predictions and develop a framework for generating precise, probability-based forecasts of re-entry time and location.
NorthStar mentioned the uncontrolled reentry of a SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage over Poland in 2025 as an example of the impact of uncontrolled reentry.
Spain’s Charles III University of Madrid (UC3M) and Romania’s Institute of Space Science (ISS) will participate in the initiative as well.
As project lead, NorthStar will contribute its experience in astrodynamics methods, conjunction analysis, and space situational awareness solutions. The company currently operates a conjunction analysis system.
“FALCON represents an important dimension of European innovation focused on practical solutions to support space safety and responsible operations,” commented Manuel Sanjurjo Rivo, Orbital Dynamics team lead at NorthStar. “By combining advanced analytics, atmospheric modeling, and operational expertise, we are helping to build a more secure space environment for governments, commercial operators and citizens.”
