Development of an Inflatable De-Orbit Device for Pico-Satellites and Application Scenarios
van Breukelen, E.¹; Maessen, D.^2
1ISIS - Innovative Solutions In Space BV; ²Chair of Space Systems Engineering, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, TU Delft

New space debris mitigation guidelines require satellites in low Earth orbit to de-orbit within 25 years after end of life. This effectively limits the orbital altitude of conventional pico- and nanosatellites like CubeSats, with a ballistic coefficient in the range of 33-150 kg/m2, to 400-700 km.

In response to the new guidelines, ISIS - Innovative Solutions In Space BV, together with TU Delft, has started development of an Inflatable De-Orbit Device (iDod) that utilizes atmospheric drag to decelerate a satellite. The primary application scenario for this device is to ensure that pico- and nanosatellites in higher orbits do not contribute to the growing space debris problem. The development work has resulted in a development model, which shows that sufficient packing efficiency can be achieved for implementation on a pico-satellite and that a pyramid structure can be deployed using gas pressure. Initial results will be shown.

Based on refined estimations for system characteristics from the development and literature study work, several additional application scenarios are presented for in-orbit demonstration and operational use of the iDod on nanosatellites and small microsatellites.