The distinction between controlled and uncontrolled re-entry determines whether an object lands where the operator wants or wherever atmospheric physics decides. Both are legal, but the risk profiles are fundamentally different.
The distinction between controlled and uncontrolled re-entry determines whether an object lands where the operator wants or wherever atmospheric physics decides. Both are legal, but the risk profiles are fundamentally different.
Controlled disposal seems obviously preferable — but it's not always possible.
SSA agencies use available evidence to classify whether an observed re-entry was controlled or uncontrolled.
Both are survivable from a public risk perspective — but controlled re-entry is the responsible standard that the industry is increasingly requiring as part of mission licensing.