Final commands were sent to Europe’s Aeolus satellite on Friday to bring it out of the sky.

The space laser, which was designed to map Earth’s winds, re-entered the atmosphere over Antarctica.

Any debris that might have survived the fiery descent would have fallen well out of harm’s way.

The British-built spacecraft’s mission was hailed a success for the novel data it provided to weather forecasters looking several days ahead.

Its ultraviolet laser tracked the movement of air in all locations, at every altitude, across the world.

The mission’s success means replacements are already being planned.

But Aeolus was a project that very nearly didn’t happen because of the difficulty in making it work.

Engineers struggled for over a decade to develop an instrument that would operate for long enough in the vacuum of space.

The delay led to Aeolus being dubbed “the impossible satellite”.

The engineers, under the leadership of the European Space Agency (Esa), stuck at it because of the prize on offer – the first truly global view of what the winds on Earth are doing, from the surface all the way up into the stratosphere (from 0km to 30km).

However, in the time it took for Aeolus to get to the launch pad in 2018 and fly its near 5-year mission, best practice for de-orbiting defunct spacecraft had changed.

They now need either the ability to pinpoint their fall back to Earth to a safe zone, or to be sure of burning up completely as they come through the atmosphere.

Aeolus couldn’t meet these criteria. Its propulsion system was not powerful enough to fully direct where it came out of the sky, and up to 20% of its hardware was expected to survive to the surface of the Earth (likely elements of the satellite’s graphite telescope and its fuel tanks).

Esa flight controllers spent the past week building up to what they called an “assisted re-entry” instead. They commanded the satellite to progressively lower its altitude in a series of manoeuvres, the last of which on Friday dropped it to a height of roughly 120km.

From there, drag from the atmosphere was predicted to pull the satellite down to destruction within about two and a half revolutions of the planet.

Sensors available to US Space Command confirmed the final moments of Aeolus occurred over the Antarctic continent at around 19:00 GMT.

Bhutan has reported a marked increase in its wild tiger population, according to the results of a new survey.

The latest figures show the tiny Himalayan kingdom is now home to 131 tigers – up 27% from the last count, held in 2015.

Experts also found evidence of Tigers breeding at different altitudes in the country, suggesting Bhutan could help regional populations recover.

The study covered 32,800 sq km (12,664 sq miles) – roughly 85% of the country.

It was carried out by the Bhutanese government’s forest and park services department, with the help of various national and international environmental groups, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The news has been welcomed as the world continues to grapple with the increasing loss of species due to issues such as climate change..

“This is a significant achievement and an indication of a very healthy ecosystem,” said Chimi Rinzin, Country Director of WWF-Bhutan.

As a top predator, tigers are considered essential for preserving the complex systems that underpin the natural world.

However, they are an endangered species. According to WWF statistics, the global wild tiger population has dropped by around 95% over the past century.

This is due to issues such as a loss of habitat due to human habitation and climate change, as well as illegal wildlife trade.

What is biodiversity and how are we protecting it?

The results of the latest Bhutan survey means the country joins a small number of nations that have increased their tiger population in the past decade.

That includes India, who earlier this year reported an increase of 200 tigers in the past four years.

Nepal has also made significant strides, doubling its tiger population in the past decade.

The ʻEneʻio Botanical Garden is a mesmerizing botanical garden which is first of its kind in the area and it is located in the eastern part of the large island of Vavaʻu, within the Kingdom of Tonga.

Containing one of the largest and most varied plant collection in the small Pacific kingdom, it covers an area of about 9 hectares (22 acres) that is privately owned and was developed since 1972 by Tonga’s former Minister of Agriculture, Haniteli Fa’anunu.

Being an agronomist with 38 years of agricultural experience, Fa’anunu began his magnificent work in 1972, however, it was officially opened to the general public as a botanical garden in August 2006.

Nowadays, there are plenty of visitors who come to the island, and experience the native and exotic plants through guided tours, which in addition offers also variety of activities for the family, ocean side restaurant, souvenir shop and camping area.

Having access to the private beach which has also the same name, ‘Ene’io Beach, the botanical garden is the perfect spot to experience the local life, the wildlife of the islands, as well as the long standing culture of the Tongan people.

The principle reason for Fa’anunu’s work was to preserve different plant cultivars, save endangered plant species, and educate locals and visitors about the flora and fauna of Tonga, which has proved to be a successful one in recent years.

Since it contains more than 550 different plant varieties and 150 plant families, there are a lot of people who would like to come and be witnesses of the amazing work that has been done here, however, it is always necessary to book one of the three tours which are offered from the garden’s employees.

All in all, being Tonga’s only botanical garden, it is always certain that rare and beautiful flora will be seen here, while learning a bit more about the life of the local people who are living in this small Pacific paradise.