Reducing Congestion In Orbits

With the problem of congestion in orbits on the rise, new technology is being developed to aid the decongestion process. The idea is to use micro electric propulsion thrusters to bring satellites safely down to Earth, allowing them to burn up in the lower atmosphere.

These thrusters being designed by Surrey Satellite Technology (SST) are presently intended only for the small satellites. The main aim of this project is to help control overcrowding in the low-Earth-orbit band between 700km and 900km.

The current problem is that the old satellites remain in orbit for decades before being pulled down by the earth’s gravity. When this happens, they not only clog important orbits but also cause damage to the working satellites in the same orbit by colliding with them.

Using this technology can give small satellite greater mobility and enable us to bring them into the lower atmosphere to burn up on re-entry. The electric thrusters can also help us put small satellite into outer orbits without the need to add additional fuel. Researchers at SST aim to use a pulsed plasma thruster for this experiment.

The pulsed plasma thruster derives its energy by converting the energy from the solar panels and storing it in a battery. The main factor here is the efficiency with which the solar panels can convert the sunlight falling on them into energy.

According to the researchers, the electric thruster technology is far more efficient than the chemical thruster technology. It consumes less space and hence provides more space for adding other components to the space craft.