1. Coulomb drag propulsion experiments of ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1
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Rami Vainio, Mihkel Pajusalu, Petri Niemelä, Aditya Savio Paul, Robert Märk, Minna Palmroth, Kadri Bussov, Maido Merisalu, Eija Tanskanen, Quazi Saimoon Islam, Janis Sate, Sean Haslam, Andris Slavinskis, Anu Reinart, Jürgen Laks, Samuli Nyman, Hendrik Ehrpais, Martin Tajmar, Muhammad Rizwan Mughal, Mathias Plans, Mart Noorma, Mika Väänänen, Bagus Riwanto, Nemanja Jovanovic, Emilia Kilpua, Jouni Polkko, Pekka Janhunen, Petri Toivanen, Jaan Praks, Hans Teras, Bruce Clayhills, Philipp Laufer, Janis Dalbins, Tõnis Eenmäe, Erik Ilbis, Väino Sammelselg, Viljo Allik, Iaroslav Iakubivskyi, Ankit Nath, Joosep Kivastik, Indrek Sünter, Tatu Peltola, Jouni Envall, Matias Meskanen, University of Tartu, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, Estonian Student Satellite Foundation - ESTCube, University of Helsinki, Dresden University of Technology, Jaan Praks Group, Ventspils University College, University of Turku, Aalto-yliopisto, Aalto University, and Department of Physics
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Plasma brake ,Aerospace Engineering ,02 engineering and technology ,Propulsion ,01 natural sciences ,7. Clean energy ,law.invention ,ESTCube-2 ,0203 mechanical engineering ,Coulomb drag propulsion ,law ,0103 physical sciences ,CubeSat ,Electric solar wind sail ,Aerospace engineering ,010303 astronomy & astrophysics ,Deorbiting ,Physics ,020301 aerospace & aeronautics ,Spacecraft ,business.industry ,115 Astronomy, Space science ,FORESAIL-1 ,Space sustainability ,Solar wind ,Drag ,Physics::Space Physics ,Electric sail ,Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics ,Space debris ,business ,Interplanetary spaceflight - Abstract
This paper presents two technology experiments – the plasma brake for deorbiting and the electric solar wind sail for interplanetary propulsion – on board the ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1 satellites. Since both technologies employ the Coulomb interaction between a charged tether and a plasma flow, they are commonly referred to as Coulomb drag propulsion. The plasma brake operates in the ionosphere, where a negatively charged tether deorbits a satellite. The electric sail operates in the solar wind, where a positively charged tether propels a spacecraft, while an electron emitter removes trapped electrons. Both satellites will be launched in low Earth orbit carrying nearly identical Coulomb drag propulsion experiments, with the main difference being that ESTCube-2 has an electron emitter and it can operate in the positive mode. While solar-wind sailing is not possible in low Earth orbit, ESTCube-2 will space-qualify the components necessary for future electric sail experiments in its authentic environment. The plasma brake can be used on a range of satellite mass classes and orbits. On nanosatellites, the plasma brake is an enabler of deorbiting – a 300-m-long tether fits within half a cubesat unit, and, when charged with - 1 kV, can deorbit a 4.5-kg satellite from between a 700- and 500-km altitude in approximately 9–13 months. This paper provides the design and detailed analysis of low-Earth-orbit experiments, as well as the overall mission design of ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1.
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