Re:Space Junk Solution? Tiny Cubesat to Test New De-Orbiting...
by InclinedPlane on Monday July 03, 2017 @01:14AM
(#14685988)
It's not for cubesats, it's just the easiest way to test it.
Also, many satellites are not deorbited. Most satellites in medium to high orbits, especially those in geostationary orbit, are moved into graveyard orbits near their end of life when they are still operational, but they lack sufficient propulsion to deorbit or bring their perigees low enough for their orbits to degrade in a meaningful amount of time.
The point of this experiment is to test out a device that doesn't add significant extra mass to a satellite but would be able to deorbit it in a timely manner after it has reached the end of its usefulness. This would be a big step in keeping Earth orbit clean from space junk and is a worthy research endeavor, especially considering the low costs involved.
Also, many satellites are not deorbited. Most satellites in medium to high orbits, especially those in geostationary orbit, are moved into graveyard orbits near their end of life when they are still operational, but they lack sufficient propulsion to deorbit or bring their perigees low enough for their orbits to degrade in a meaningful amount of time.
The point of this experiment is to test out a device that doesn't add significant extra mass to a satellite but would be able to deorbit it in a timely manner after it has reached the end of its usefulness. This would be a big step in keeping Earth orbit clean from space junk and is a worthy research endeavor, especially considering the low costs involved.