ESA deploys sail-breaking ADEO to quickly deorbit small satellites

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Space is filling up. The growing population of space debris increases the potential danger to all spacecraft, including the International Space Station and other spacecraft with humans on board.

Much more debris exists in the near-Earth space environment, too small to monitor but large enough to threaten human spaceflight and robotic missions. Since both the debris and the spacecraft are traveling at extremely high speeds, the impact of even a tiny piece of orbital debris with a spacecraft could create major problems. This has endangered many of Earth’s climate, ocean and land monitoring missions.

Hoping to open up a cleaner future for our space dreams, the European Space Agency (ESA) has developed an innovative aluminum-coated sail known as the Drag Augmentation Deorbiting Subsystem (ADEO). Innovative ‘drag sails’ can travel in orbit on satellites and help them de-orbit when the time comes.

ADEO is a 38.7 square foot (3.6 square meter) aluminum-coated polyamide membrane sail that provides a passive method of deorbiting. ESA folded the sail until it could fit into what looks essentially like a 10-centimetre (4-inch) jack-in-the-box package.

The scientists then attached the sail-breaking ADEO to a privately built spacecraft called the ION satellite carrier, which was launched via a Falcon 9 rocket on June 30, 2021.

The sail was then successfully deployed by the ION satellite carrier in late December 2022. The ADEO unfurled, displaying its “wings” – a silvery polyamide membrane attached to four carbon-reinforced arms positioned in an X shape – and immediately initiated the satellite descent. The deployment process was captured by an integrated camera aboard the Ion satellite carrier.

This increases the drag effect of the atmospheric surface and causes an accelerated decay of the satellite’s orbital altitude. The satellite will eventually burn up in the atmosphere, providing a faster, residue-free method of disposal.

The demonstrator technology is connected to a CubeSat, allowing it to descend in a matter of months rather than the years it would otherwise take. The ADEO mission is the final flight qualification test required to provide the technology proof of concept.

The European mission, called “Show Me Your Wings”, is the final flight qualification test necessary to provide the technological proof of concept. The ADEO test model is the smallest variant of the ADEO product family, specially designed for deorbiting small satellites in the 1-100 kg class range.

The approach is, however, scalable for medium to large satellites, according to ESA. The largest variation can reach 100 square meters and take up to 45 minutes to implement.

ADEO technology provides a safe, robust and sustainable method for passively deorbiting small satellites. Passive methods of deorbiting are advantageous in eliminating the need for active steering, without additional CNG or propulsion subsystem.

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