The defunct Aeolus satellite will purposely crash into the Atlantic TODAY as experts attempt a bold and unprecedented maneuver to safely return it to Earth

A dead British satellite will later crash to Earth using a never-before-tried maneuver to bring it down safely.

Mission controllers have embarked on a bold and unprecedented effort to steer the 1.3-ton Aeolus probe into a position where it will crash harmlessly into the Atlantic Ocean.

The weather monitoring satellite is not designed for a controlled return at the end of its mission, but the European Space Agency (ESA) wants to use what little fuel is left on board to guide it to a remote part of the planet.

While much of the car-sized satellite will burn up in the atmosphere, about 20 percent of the debris is expected to reach the surface later today, where it will sink into a watery grave.

ESA’s ambitious plan is the first maneuver of its kind.

The goal is to collect data for future satellite reentry so that other spacefaring countries and private companies can use similar methods to safely send down dead spacecraft and minimize the already low risk of them landing in populated areas.

“This assisted reentry attempt goes beyond the safety requirements for the mission, which was planned and designed in the late 1990s,” said Tim Flohrer, head of ESA’s Space Debris Office.

“When ESA and industrial partners discovered that it might be possible to further reduce the already minimal risk to human life or infrastructure, the wheels were set in motion.

“If everything went according to plan, Aeolus would meet current safety requirements for missions being designed today.”

Built by British engineers at Airbus, Aeolus has been orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 320 kilometers for five years.

Launched in 2018 to measure wind in the atmosphere to improve weather forecasts, it fired a laser at our planet to air movement at any location and altitude worldwide.

This did it collecting the scattering of light reflected from dust, gas and water droplets moving in the wind.

The speed at which different markers, and the winds that carry them, move were then revealed by changes in the wavelength of light.

However, after successfully completing his mission Aeolus’s fuel is almost up.

The satellite has been dropping from its 200-mile (320 km) operational altitude since June 19, and is now being dragged toward reentry by gravity and Earth’s atmosphere.

When it reached an altitude of 280 km on Monday, mission controllers in Germany began a series of maneuvers to send it to a lower orbit.

First it was reduced to 155 miles (250 km), then reduced to 142 miles (230 km) as the week progressed.

Officials eventually want to get it into a 75-mile (120 km) orbit and on a trajectory to fall into the Atlantic about five hours later.

ESA said it was impossible to give an exact timing for Aeolus’ return.

Angus Stewart, head of space surveillance and tracking at the UK Space Agency, said: ‘Aeolus is a great example of the power of space benefiting us on Earth, with the UK-built spacecraft providing valuable data to leading weather centers across Europe since 2018, significantly improving global forecasts.

“But with more than 8,000 operational satellites and more than 30,000 pieces of traceable debris, it is becoming increasingly challenging to operate safely in space.

“We need to protect the environment in which satellites operate and keep space open for future generations, and it’s great to see ESA carrying out this assisted return – the first of its kind.

“The UK Space Agency runs the UK’s reentry warning service and has commissioned our UK sensors to observe the reentry.

“These observations have been sent to ESA and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) to support reentry analysis.”