drag aenhancement DeoIn late December 2022, the Arbiting System (ADEO) break sail was successfully deployed from the ION satellite carrier. A sail area of 3.6 square meters was deployed autonomously from a surprisingly small packing size of 10 x 10 x 10 cm to demonstrate deorbit satellite technology.
We would like to establish a zero debris policy. So once you put the spacecraft into orbit, you have to get rid of it. Josef Aschbacher, ESA Executive Director
The deployment of ADEO was captured in front of the “eye” of an integrated camera aboard the ION satellite carrier. ADEO unfolded to reveal its “wings” and immediately began the satellite’s descent. The image shows one end of the sail. Following the deployment of the jack-in-box is a large aluminum coated polyamide membrane mounted on four carbon fiber reinforced booms.
Sails provide a passive way out of orbit by increasing the drag effect of the atmospheric surface and accelerating the decay of the satellite’s orbital altitude. Satellites will eventually burn up in the atmosphere, providing a fast, residue-free disposal method. ADEO will gently push the ION satellite carrier out of orbit and into the Earth’s atmosphere, as if on “angel wings.”
The ADEO mission, dubbed “Show Me Your Wings,” is the final in-flight qualification test required to provide a technical proof of concept. In 2018, her small 2.5m2 sail was attached to the upper stage of the Electron rocket ‘Its Business Time’ mission, and from 2019 to his 2022 several parabolic flights were made.
The ADEO Test Model is the smallest variant of the ADEO product family specifically designed for deorbiting small satellites in the 1-100 kg class. However, this approach is scalable for medium and large satellites. Multiple units can also be placed in one satellite or upper bunk if larger sails cannot be accommodated. Tailor-made solutions depend on the initial orbit, satellite mass, and desired deorbit time. The largest variation is 100 square meters and takes up to 45 minutes to deploy. The smallest sail is just 3.5 square meters and deploys in just 0.8 seconds.
ADEO technology provides a safe, robust and sustainable way to passively deorbit small satellites. A passive method of deorbiting has the advantage of eliminating the need for active steering without adding a GNC or propulsion subsystem.The system can be designed for passive attitude stabilization and this approach can be applied to non-operational and tumbling satellites
Ensuring the removal of satellites when the system is nearing the end of its life, or the removal of unresponsive satellites, is an important aspect of ESA’s Zero Debris Initiative. Valuable trajectory is made available and the chance of unwanted collisions is reduced. This just creates the next generation of space debris.
Original: Show Me Your Wings: ADEO Braking Sail Successful In-Flight Demonstration
Than: European Space Agency
