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De-Orbiting of Satellites using Solar Sails
Start date:2011-03-01
End date:2014-02-28
Project Acronym:DEORBIT SAIL
Project status:Execution
Coordinator
| Organization name:UNIVERSITY OF SURREY | |
| Administrative contact | Address |
|
Name:Maria |
Stag Hill GUILDFORD UNITED KINGDOM Region:SOUTH EAST (UK) SURREY, EAST-WEST SUSSEX Surrey |
| Tel:+44-1483683498 | |
| Fax:+44-1483683791 | |
| E-mail:Contact | |
| URL:http://www.surrey.ac.uk | Organization Type: |
Description
Objective:
The goal of this project is to develop and flight test a novel, low cost/risk de-orbiting device based on a 25-m squared Solar Sail with a total mass (including the satellite platform) of 3 kg. The approach will be to modify Solar Sail deployment technology for use as a satellite and/or rocket upper stage de-orbiting system. The effectiveness of such de-orbiting device is predicted to be high at altitudes lower than 900 km for mini satellites (20 to 500 kg) if de-orbiting time constraints of 25 years are being considered. Recent studies show an increasing probability of collisions between intact spacecraft and debris. If no countermeasures are taken, the number of debris particles will grow with a growth rate in the order of up to 5% per year. The historical practice of abandoning spacecraft and upper stages at the end of mission life has resulted in 8,500 tones of space debris in low earth orbit. The uncontrolled growth of the space debris population has to be avoided in order to enable safe operations in space for the future. However, reviews by panels of independent international experts have repeatedly failed to identify a single plan which is both technically feasible in the near-term and economically viable.
The consortium will design and develop a state of the art de-orbiting system foe LEO satellites and upper stages with a mass less than 500 kg. The de-orbiting system will be deployed after the useful time of the satellite/upper stage and will be used to remove/de-orbit the object from its orbit within 25 years as required by Space Agency recommendations. An example of the kind of impact this project can have is that if one assumes that all satellites and upper stages with a mass < 500 kg launched after 2013 to 2020 would hypothetically carry the proposed de-orbiting system developed by the DEOBRIT-SAIL team space, debris (> 10 cm) will be reduced by 70%.
Achievements:
General information:
Project Details
Start date:2011-03-01
End date:2014-02-28
Duration:36 months
Project Reference:263248
Project cost:2830721 EURO
Project Funding:1997342 EURO
Programme Acronym:
FP7-SPACE
Programme type:Seventh Framework Programme
Subprogramme Area:Space transportation for space exploration, Security of space assets from on-orbit collisions
Contract type:Collaborative project (generic)
URL:http://www.deorbitsail.com/
Subject index:Space & satellite research, Transport, Security
Results for this Project
| Periodic Report Summary - DEORBIT SAIL (De-orbiting of satellites using solar sails) | 20/09/2012 |
Other participants
| Organization name:DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUER LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT EV | |
| Administrative contact | Address |
|
Name:Michael |
Linder Hoehe KOELN DEUTSCHLAND Region:NORDRHEIN-WESTFALEN KÖLN Köln, Kreisfreie Stadt |
| Tel:+49-5312952119 | |
| Fax:+49-5312952153 | |
| E-mail:Contact | |
| URL:http://www.dlr.de | Organization Type: |
| Organization name:UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS | |
| Administrative contact | Address |
|
Name:Vassilis |
University Campus- Rio PATRAS HELLAS Region:KENTRIKI ELLADA DYTIKI ELLADA Achaia |
| Tel:+30-2610969441 | |
| Fax:+30-2610969417 | |
| E-mail:Contact | |
| URL:http://www.upatras.gr | Organization Type: |
| Organization name:MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY | |
| Administrative contact | Address |
|
Name:Ozan |
DUMLUPINAR BULVARI CANKAYA TURKEY Region: |
| Tel:+90-3122102471 | |
| Fax:+90-3122104250 | |
| E-mail:Contact | |
| URL:http://www.metu.edu.tr | Organization Type: |
| Organization name:STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY | |
| Administrative contact | Address |
|
Name:Willem Herman |
PRIVATE BAG X1 MATIELAND STELLENBOSCH SOUTH AFRICA Region: |
| Tel:+27-218084926 | |
| Fax:+27-218084981 | |
| E-mail:Contact | |
| URL: | Organization Type: |
| Organization name:SURREY SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED | |
| Administrative contact | Address |
|
Name:Richard |
Stephenson Road GUILDFORD UNITED KINGDOM Region:SOUTH EAST (UK) SURREY, EAST-WEST SUSSEX Surrey |
| Tel:+44-1483804702 | |
| Fax:+44-1483803804 | |
| E-mail:Contact | |
| URL:http://www.sstl.co.uk | Organization Type: |
| Organization name:ISIS - INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS IN SPACE BV | |
| Administrative contact | Address |
|
Name:Jeroen |
MOLENGRAAFFSINGEL DELFT NEDERLAND Region:WEST-NEDERLAND ZUID-HOLLAND Delft en Westland |
| Tel:+31-152569018 | |
| Fax:+31-152573969 | |
| E-mail:Contact | |
| URL:http://www.isispace.nl | Organization Type: |
| Organization name:ASTRIUM S.A.S. | |
| Administrative contact | Address |
|
Name:Herve |
RUE LAURENT PICHAT PARIS FRANCE Region:ÎLE DE FRANCE Ile de France Paris |
| Tel:+33-556572335 | |
| Fax:+33-556573945 | |
| E-mail:Contact | |
| URL:http://www.astrium.eads.net | Organization Type: |
| Organization name:ATHENA RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CENTER IN INFORMATION COMMUNICATION & KNOWLEDGE TECHNOLOGIES | |
| Administrative contact | Address |
|
Name:Theodore |
ARTEMIDOS 6 KAI EPIDAVROU MAROUSSI HELLAS Region: |
| Tel:+30-2106983122 | |
| Fax:+30-2106998863 | |
| E-mail:Contact | |
| URL:http://www.athena-innovation.gr | Organization Type: |
| Organization name:CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | |
| Administrative contact | Address |
|
Name:Mary |
East California Boulevard PASADENA UNITED STATES Region: |
| Tel:+1-6263952494 | |
| Fax:+1-6267954571 | |
| E-mail:Contact | |
| URL:http://www.caltech.edu/ | Organization Type: |
Record control number:97975
