Speaker
Malte Wurdak
(ArianeGroup)
Description
At the end of their active phases satellites have to be removed from their operational orbits and passivated in order to avoid the creation of debris and thus secure the use of these orbits for active and future satellites. As part of the Clean Space / CleanSat activities ArianeGroup extended its portfolio with the following components / technologies that will be presented:
- A SMA (Shape Memory Alloy) valve which is a pyro-free passivation system that allows a passivation of pressurized system without the typical life limitation of a classical pyrovalve. This valve recently celebrated its first operation in space.
- A demisable propellant tank made out an Aluminum alloy: Tanks were identified as a critical element of the re-entry phase because they are usually made of Titanium, which has a very high melting temperature, or include a composite overwrap that is hardly demisable.
- An active deorbit system: In case of lager LEO satellites with a certain causality risk of ground impact an active deorbit over an uninhabited area, with sufficient clearance of landmasses and traffic routes has to be performed. For this operation a high thrust engine is required that applied a high total impulse over a short time period to the spacecraft. As an example the deorbit system of the METOP SG satellite is presented that uses a 400N class Hydrazine thruster that was developed by ArianeGroup as a launcher RACS (Roll and Attitude Control) thruster was subsequently qualified as a deorbit engine.
Primary authors
Dimitri Telitschkin
(ArianeGroup)
Mr
Stefan Lentz
(ArianeGroup)
Mr
Timo Krone
(ArianeGroup)
Mr
Ulrich Gotzig
(ArianeGroup)
