Finnish aerospace company Aurora Propulsion Technologies will soon be launching the AuroraSat-1 CubeSat which is designed to help clean up space junk. Aurora Propulsion Technologies has a background in making thrusters and de-orbiting modules for small satellites. In addition to the AuroraSat-1 CubeSat, Aurora Propulsion Technologies also have an upcoming mission called North Star wherein the company plans to gather international support to design and send a microbe mission to leave our solar system.
Space pollution has been a growing problem for humanity, with 1,700 satellites out of 4700in orbit around Earth still operating. Donald Kessler, a NASA scientist, predicts that because of constant collisions in our orbit humanity’s telecommunication capabilities will become destroyed and halt our exploration of space indefinitely. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an average of 200 to 400 pieces of space debris enter Earth’s atmosphere every year adding to the world’s pollution crisis.
That is where Aurora Propulsion Technologies, in collaboration with SatRevolution and Momentus Space, comes in with the AuroraSat-1 CubeSat. The company signed on with Rocket Lab to send their new satellite into space. According to the company’s website, the CubeSat will launch into low Earth Orbit in Q3 2021. The launch will be testing the satellite’s ability to deliver a solution to space junk and defunct satellites remaining in the atmosphere long after their due date.
How Does It Work?
The satellite’s payload includes two modules: The ARM-A module which allows the cube satellite propulsion-based mobility control and consists of six thrusters. It gives the CubeSat a high top speed for stabilization as well as full propulsion-based altitude control. It also includes the APB module which is the deorbiting device that will generate drag, helping to tug the space junk out of orbit. The company says its system will be safer for other satellites than other drag-based space junk cleanup devices thanks to the device’s built-in brake.
Essentially, the test flight will test if this technology can safely make defunct satellites return to Earth’s atmosphere, where they would be destroyed. It is important that the satellite can do so safely, as a single piece of space debris can speed toward the surface many times faster than a bullet if it survives the trip through the atmosphere. The hardware developed by Aurora Propulsion Technologies, working in tandem with private space companies such as SpaceX, may help remove risk from future space missions as well as help keep the space around Earth a bit more tidy.
