ESA develops controlled satellite disintegration

September 24 () –

ESA plans to launch a 150-kilogram satellite with technology for the first world demonstration from a controlled disintegration process in the Earth’s atmosphere.

To this end, the agency has signed with the Spanish Deimos Space the contract for the development of the first phase of the DRACO (Destructive Re-entry Assessment Container Object) mission. Deimos will lead a consortium that includes the Von Karman Institute of Belgium, Fluid Gravity Engineering, Belstead Research, Vorticity and Dial (all in the UK) and Hyperschall Technologie Göttingen of Germany.

The DRACO mission aims to reduce existing uncertainties in the disintegration and decay processes and ultimately ensure that satellites burn up completely during re-entry. Complete combustion in the atmosphere ensures the safety of people and the integrity of infrastructure and assets on the ground and in airspace, ESA reports.

The primary objective of DRACO is to record the sequence of events during the destructive re-entry of a satellite, while a surviving capsule transmits detailed and unprecedented data back to Earth.

The knowledge gained from this mission is expected to be instrumental in advancing early fragmentation and design for demise (D4D) technologies, “which are fundamental to ESA’s Zero Waste approach and the future of sustainable space activities,” according to the agency.

Deimos, as system integrator and prime contractor for the mission, is responsible for mission design and management, systems engineering, platform development and integration, and ground and user segments. The satellite, also designed by Deimos, will be assembled at Deimos’ facilities in Puertollano, in collaboration with Deimos teams in Portugal, Italy and Romania.