Skip to content
AsteriaStar
Operations function

End-of-Mission Operations

The final phase — safely disposing of a spacecraft (a controlled re-entry, a graveyard orbit, or a deliberate impact) and preserving its data — closing out the mission responsibly.

In brief

Safely disposing of a spacecraft and archiving its data.

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

  • ESAEuropean Space Agency

    European missions, observatories, and space science imagery.