Coulomb drag propulsion experiments of ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1

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.

Keywords

Coulomb drag propulsion, Plasma brake, Space debris, Deorbiting, Electric solar wind sail, ESTCube-2, FORESAIL-1, Space sustainability

DOI

10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.11.030

Citation

Iakubivskyi , I , Janhunen , P , Praks , J , Allik , V , Bussov , K , Clayhills , B , Dalbins , J , Eenmäe , T , Ehrpais , H , Envall , J , Haslam , S , Ilbis , E , Jovanovic , N , Kilpua , E , Kivastik , J , Laks , J , Laufer , P , Merisalu , M , Meskanen , M , Märk , R , Nath , A , Niemelä , P , Noorma , M , Mughal , M R , Nyman , S , Pajusalu , M , Palmroth , M , Paul , A S , Peltola , T , Plans , M , Polkko , J , Islam , Q S , Reinart , A , Riwanto , B , Sammelselg , V , Sate , J , Sünter , I , Tajmar , M , Tanskanen , E , Teras , H , Toivanen , P , Vainio , R , Väänänen , M & Slavinskis , A 2020 , ' Coulomb drag propulsion experiments of ESTCube-2 and FORESAIL-1 ' , Acta Astronautica , vol. 177 , pp. 771-783 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.11.030

Permanent link to this item

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202001021405

Collections

[article-cris] Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu / ELEC

Show all metadata