CubeSail-D: A Module for Accelerated Spacecraft Deorbiting

The team of CU Aerospace (CUA) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) proposenbsp;risk reduction design and analyses of a modular spacecraft addition based on our teamrsquo;s CubeSail technology for accelerated spacecraft deorbiting.nbsp;nbsp;This technology represents a high-payoff technology using primarily atmospheric drag, but with the additional option for solar sail deorbiting from higher altitude orbits where atmospheric drag is negligible.nbsp;The Phase I effort will focus on concept design, analyses, configuration trade off studies, and simulations for a CubeSail-D (Deorbit) design that can be integrated as a module on or into a larger small/nanosatellite.nbsp;nbsp;Unique features of the CubeSail-D design are its absence of any sail support structure, and its ability to control the solar sail blade pitch from the end of the sail and therefore enable continuous deorbiting thrust from solar photon pressure, not just aerodynamic drag.nbsp;nbsp;This capability of CubeSail-D becomes progressively more important at higher altitudes and is critical above 1000 km, and will also be important during times of minima in the solar sunspot cycle when atmospheric density drops and consequently drag effects decrease.nbsp;nbsp;Further, the ability to pitch the blade during deorbit enables alteration of the amount of aerodynamic drag seen by a CubeSail-D equipped satellite and may provide enough control authority for targeted reentry.nbsp;nbsp;The goal of Phase II would be delivery of a flight ready CubeSail-D demonstrator as either an add-on module or a self-contained CubeSat demonstrator.