The pioneer Cluster mission

The Cluster mission will always be the first ever 4 spacecraft mission mapping the Earth magnetosphere in three dimensions. Launched in 2000 and originally planned to operate for two years, it has been orbiting Earth for more than two solar cycles. Over the course of its lifetime, its data have enabled the scientific community to conduct pioneer science in various aspects, including: plasma energization, energy transport and solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions. Recent scientific highlights will be presented first, followed by the latest scientific objectives that have guided the Cluster mission operations from 2021 to 2024. Early September 2024, one spacecraft of this veteran constellation successfully re-entered in a controlled manner the Earth’s atmosphere. Some aspects of this re-entry will be presented.