The dancing satellites, part of the European Space Agencys Cluster 2 program, are now stationed in their operational orbits near Earth. Though a number of smaller "orbit-trimming" maneuvers have yet to be carried out, officials with the Cluster program said the satellites are all but ready to start their scientific investigation of Earths magnetosphere.

Watch Them Dance!

Think you've got all the moves? Samba, Rumba, Tango and Salsa can show you a thing or two about dancing! Watch the Cluster II satellites do their thing in this video animation from the European Space Agency.

The successful launch and positioning of Rumba and Tango are all the sweeter for the European Space Agency (ESA) in the wake of the agencys devastating Cluster loss of 1996. The original Cluster mission, which was to partner with ESAs SOHO satellite to form the agencys Solar-Terrestrial Science Program, literally went up in smoke as the Ariane 5 rocket it was flying on exploded during launch.

Now that the four Cluster 2 satellites are in their orbits, studies of the suns effects on Earth are destined to get back on track very soon. The four satellites will work together as they orbit Earth in a pyramid-shaped configuration. Distances between the individual spacecraft vary between 78 miles (125 kilometers) and 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometers).

Over the next few days, the Cluster satellites will undergo slight orbit maneuvers while releasing a number of booms -- two experiment booms and one antenna boom for each craft. In addition, the covers for two science experiments will be removed in preparation for data collection. At present, routine operations for the mission are set to begin in early December.