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Drag Sail

All articles tagged with #drag sail

space2 years ago•3 min saved

"Revolutionary Drag Sail Guides Space Debris to Safe Orbital Exit"

A prototype satellite called SBUDNIC, built by students at Brown University, successfully demonstrated a deployable drag sail made from Kapton polyimide film to de-orbit satellites. The CubeSat design deployed the drag sail once in orbit, causing its orbit to decay. Tracking data showed that SBUDNIC's orbit decayed faster than other satellites of similar size, and it burned up in the atmosphere after just 445 days in orbit. The project aimed to address the problem of space junk accumulating in low Earth orbit and showed a low-cost solution for future satellites to de-orbit at the end of their lifespan.

via The Register|

#de-orbit #drag-sail #low-earth-orbit

space-technology2 years ago•3 min saved

Innovative Small Satellite Tackles Space Junk at Low Cost

A student-built cube satellite called SBUDNIC, designed to tackle the issue of space debris, has successfully re-entered Earth's atmosphere about five years earlier than planned. The satellite, built on a shoestring budget using off-the-shelf supplies, featured a plastic drag sail made from Kapton polyimide, which helped push it back down to Earth more quickly. The project demonstrated a low-cost method to deorbit space junk after mission life has ended, potentially impacting efforts to reduce space debris. With over 27,000 pieces of orbital debris being tracked, the success of SBUDNIC highlights the effectiveness of cost-effective solutions in combating the space junk problem.

via Futurity: Research News|

#cube-satellite #drag-sail #low-cost-solution

space2 years ago•3 min saved

Low-Cost Student Satellite Uses Innovative Method to Combat Space Debris.

A team of students from Brown University has built a CubeSat called SBUDNIC that has successfully demonstrated the use of a drag sail to help degrade the satellite's orbit and push it back into the Earth's atmosphere faster than would otherwise have occurred. The drag sail was designed to help de-orbit the satellite at the end of its life span and avoid adding to the growing problem of space debris caused by defunct hardware cluttering up Earth's orbit. SBUDNIC's design information is available to the public so that other amateur and student groups can emulate and modify its designs.

via The Register|

#brown-university #cubesat #drag-sail

space2 years ago•7 min saved

Low-cost satellite powered by AA batteries tackles space junk.

A team of engineering students from Brown University built a satellite called SBUDNIC on a shoestring budget using off-the-shelf supplies available at most hardware stores. The satellite is powered by 48 Energizer AA batteries and a $20 microprocessor popular with robot hobbyists. The satellite has a 3D-printed drag sail made from Kapton polyimide film that helps push the satellite back down to Earth sooner, reducing the amount of space debris. The total cost of the student-designed cube satellite was about $10,000.

via Phys.org|

#brown-university #cube-satellite #drag-sail