ESTCube-1 nanosatellite for electric solar wind sail technology demonstration in low Earth orbit
- Paper number
IAC-13,B4,2,10,x18803
- Author
Mr. Erik Kulu, Tartu Observatory, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Silver Lätt, Tartu University, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Urmas Kvell, Tartu Observatory, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Andris Slavinskis, University of Tartu, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Mihkel Pajusalu, University of Tartu, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Henri Kuuste, Tartu Observatory, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Kaspars Laizans, Tartu Observatory, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Andres Vahter, Tartu Observatory, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Erik Ilbis, University of Tartu, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Viljo Allik, Tartu Observatory, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Tõnis Eenmäe, Tartu Observatory, Estonia
- Coauthor
Dr. Jouni Envall, Finnish Meteorological Institute, FMI, Finland
- Coauthor
Mr. Jouni Polkko, Finnish Meteorological Institute, FMI, Finland
- Coauthor
Dr. Pekka Janhunen, Finnish Meteorological Institute, FMI, Finland
- Coauthor
Dr. Mart Noorma, Tartu Observatory, Estonia
- Coauthor
Mr. Kaupo Voormansik, Tartu Observatory, Estonia
- Year
2013
- Abstract
ESTCube-1 is a single unit CubeSat that is planned to be launched into 680 km altitude sun-synchronous polar orbit in April 2013 onboard the Vega launcher. Its primary mission is to measure the Coulomb drag force exerted by a natural plasma stream on a charged tether and thus to perform the basic proof of concept measurement and technology demonstration of electric solar wind sail (E-sail) technology. The E-sail is a propellantless propulsion system concept invented in 2006. It uses thin charged electrostatic tethers for turning the momentum flux of a natural plasma stream such as the solar wind into spacecraft propulsion. A full-scale E-sail spacecraft would consist of one hundred 20 km long tethers made of four interconnected 25-50 micrometre aluminium wires and it would produce 1 N of average thrust in the solar wind at 1 au while weighing 100-200 kg. Among other low thrust propulsion systems such as ion engines and photonic sails, the solar wind based E-sail has potentially a revolutionarily high total impulse capability versus its own mass. ESTCube-1 takes the first step in realising E-sail technology by demonstrating centrifugal deployment of a 10 m long near final type tether and by measuring the magnitude of the resulting micronewton scale E-sail force. For deployment of the tether the satellite is spun up to 1 revolution per second with the spin-axis parallel to Earth’s rotation axis. After deployment, the electron gun is turned on and off synchronously with the satellite’s spin. Changes in the satellite’s spin rate resulting from the Coulomb drag interaction with the moving ionospheric plasma are monitored by gyroscopes. The plasma flow is due to the satellite’s orbital motion. The attitude determination and control system (ADCS) of ESTCube-1 is capable of spinning up the satellite within two orbits by using magnetic torquers and it includes magnetometers, gyroscopes, and sun sensors for measuring attitude. The command and data handling system interfaces with the ADCS sensors and runs the software while having redundant and fault-tolerant design. A tether end mass imaging system is used to verify tether deployment during unreeling. The high-voltage board generates 500 V for the electron guns. The employed cold cathode electron guns are based on electron field emission from a nanographite surface. A piezoelectric motor is used for rotating the tether reel. Also a negative 500 V source is included for measuring the negative polarity Coulomb drag force in a separate experiment.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-13,B4,2,10,x18803.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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