New aerodynamic materials, developed by researchers from The University of Manchester, have been deployed on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, Nov. 21. The experiment is being conducted to test the materials' erosion properties when exposed to the harsh Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment of the spacecraft.
What Are Very Low Earth Orbits
In a conference paper published by ResearchGate, Very Low Earth Orbits (VLEO) is defined as orbits with a mean altitude below 450 km. According to the paper, the increased drag from VLEO's residual atmosphere offers the potential of shorter orbital lifetimes.
In the future, the shorter orbital lifetime could allow Earth Observation (EO) platforms, such as satellites and spacecraft, to replenish their fleet more frequently and conduct more experiments in space.
The team behind the paper added that VLEO could help EO platforms operate on lower altitudes, which means they can fly closer to the observation target. They also reported that, "lowering the altitude increases the geospatial accuracy of the platform, increases its surveillance footprint and allows more payload mass from the launch vehicles."
A New Generation of Satellites
Dr. Peter Roberts, the principal investigator of the experiment, stated the materials have the potential to open a new generation of smaller yet more competitive remote-sensing and communications satellites in VLEO.
He also reported that if their assumption about the materials proves to be correct, the research will pave the way for the rapid removal of space debris and uncontrolled satellites at the end of every space operation.
The growing problem of man-made space junk, when further disregarded, can put our working satellites at risk. In 2006, a tiny piece of flying space debris collided with the International Space Station, resulting in a crack in the spacecraft's window.
In 2009, the active US-based satellite Iridium 33 collided with the inactive Russian satellite Cosmos 2251, bursting in a thousand pieces of space debris.
According to the National Geographic, while there are several proposals to control the build-up of junk in space, it seems that the only viable option so far is to ensure the appropriate end-of-life plan and rapid disposal of satellites and other man-made orbiters.
What Happens Next
After six months, the said aerodynamic materials will be returned to Earth from the International Space Station for analysis. Until then, the researchers behind the project can only hope for the best outcome.
The deployment was made possible by the Alpha Space Test & Research Alliance of Houston, Texas, a minority-woman-owned commercial space company that owns and operates the materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) facility.
More Tests in Space
This recent space observation experiment is part of the DISCOVERER project, a Horizon 2020 project on which The University of Manchester is the lead partner.
DISCOVERER is currently focused on developing technologies to enable commercial operations of satellites in VLEO. Their projects include developing the Satellite for Orbital Aerodynamics Research (SOAR) and the Rarefied Orbital Aerodynamics Research facility (ROAR).
The DISCOVERER project received funding under grant agreement No. 737183.
