As the number of small satellites in Low Earth Orbit grows, understanding their re-entry demise becomes increasingly crucial for ensuring the sustainability of space utilization. This includes risks associated with ground impacts from incompletely demised components and the release of aerosols and gases into the upper atmosphere. The SOURCE PWK project, funded by the German Aerospace Center...
The use of pyrotechnic formulations to assist spacecraft demise during re-entry has been investigated in the frame of the SPADEXO ESA-TRP project. The approach selected during this activity consisted in the direct integration of thermite powder in the structural voids of robust components, which could be passively ignited by the aerothermal heat experienced by the spacecraft during the...
During the atmospheric entry, the decommissioned satellite is strongly affected by aerodynamic heating due to dissipation of a huge amount of kinetic energy into thermal energy. In these conditions, the vehicle usually breaks-up into several parts which are, in turn, degraded by the high enthalpy flow. However, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) materials behave similarly to thermal...
