Space travel - For less scrap in space: satellite brake sails tested
A new brake sail for satellites has been tested at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Bremen. The test on Monday was reportedly successful. It was deployed. The comparatively large sail called ADEO-L from the Munich-based space company HPS is to be tested in space in 2024. Braking sails are intended to help reduce the amount of waste in space in future.
The background to this is that it can take decades for decommissioned satellites to burn up on re-entry into the atmosphere. Because these no longer needed missiles are a danger for functioning satellites and space travel, the process is to be accelerated. The sail works like a parachute, said Frank Hoffmann, Head of the HPS Brake Sail Department. It slows down the satellite, which therefore enters the atmosphere comparatively faster and burns up.
Hoffmann said that two HPS brake sails had already been deployed in space. Compared to ADEO-L, these were much smaller sails. DLR has been working with HPS on the development of these sails since 2015. According to the announcement, the ADEO-L should be available in large quantities in a few years' time.
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- The Munich-based space company HPS, known for its brake sail technology, is based in Bavaria, Germany.
- The German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Bremen, in collaboration with HPS, has been working on the development of satellite brake sails since 2015.
- In the future, the large ADEO-L brake sail, developed by HPS, could be deployed in space to reduce space debris, potentially even in quantities, as announced.
- Frank Hoffmann, the Head of HPS's Brake Sail Department, noted that two of their brake sails have already been deployed in space, albeit smaller ones compared to ADEO-L.
Source: www.stern.de
