Cluster Salsa & Samba

Overview

Destination: Elliptical Orbit
Mission: Earth Science

Elliptical Orbit 31/6 Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Cluster is an magnetospheric research project, consisting of a constellation of four identical satellites. Part of the first Cornerstone Mission in the European Space Agency's long-term space science programme, the Cluster II satellites were built to replace the original Cluster mission, which was aborted after Ariane-5G's maiden flight in June 1996 failed to launch the satellites. The mission's objective is to research the Earth's magnetosphere and its interaction with the solar winds, via four identical satellites flying in formation which take simultaneous measurements to provide the most detailed three-dimensional study of changes and processes taking place in near-Earth space. The four satellites were launched in 2000 on two Soyuz-U Fregat rockets.

Soyuz-U-PVB

Family:
Configuration: U-PVB

A Russian orbital launch vehicle. A version of the Soyuz-U with safety modifications to prevent and resist fires in all stages and the upper stage avionics compartment.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    51.0 m
  • Diameter
    3.0 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    3.0 m
  • Launch Mass
    313.0 T
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    Soyuz-U-PVB
  • Family
  • Variant
    U-PVB
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Soyuz-U-PVB
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    6900.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Progress Rocket Space Center

Progress Rocket Space Center

(PRSC)

CEO: Dmitry Baranov Founded: 1996 Successes: 44 Failures: 1 Pending: 0

Agency Type:

Progress Rocket Space Centre, formerly known as TsSKB-Progress, is a space science and aerospace research company which is known for manufacturing launch vehicles and satellites. Most notably, Progress Rocket Space Centre is the manufacturer of Soyuz launch vehicles.

INFO WIKI

Related News

SpaceDaily

ESA adjusts Cluster orbits for rare twin reentry campaign

Paris, France (SPX) Feb 04, 2026 When satellites fall back to Earth, most of their structure burns up in the atmosphere, but engineers still lack detailed data on how real spacecraft actually break apart during reentry and which compo…

ESA

Goodnight, Cluster: brilliant end to trailblazing mission

The first satellite in ESA’s Cluster quartet safely came back down to Earth last night in a world-first ‘targeted reentry’, marking a brilliant end to this remarkable mission.

SpaceNews

ESA performs targeted reentry of Cluster satellite

The European Space Agency successfully deorbited the first of four Cluster space science satellites Sept. 8, performing a first-of-its-kind “targeted reentry” over the South Pacific.

ESA

Cluster reentry explained: world's first targeted reentry

The first of four satellites that make up ESA’s Cluster mission is coming safely back down to Earth, marking a brilliant end to this remarkable mission.

ESA

Watching Salsa’s reentry live from the sky

On 8 September 2024, the first of four Cluster satellites will return home and burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere in an uncontrolled ‘targeted reentry’ over a remote area of the South Pacific Ocean.

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

31/6


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