InflateSail (QB50-GB06)

Spain

Int. spacecraft nº:

Spain spacecraft nº: 23

Launch data:

Designation	42770 / 17036F
Launch date	23 Jun 2017 - 03:59 UT
Launch site	Sriharikota, FLP
Launch vehicle	PSLV-XL
Mission	Technology
Earth orbit:
Perigee / Apogee	491 x 518 km
Eccentricity
Inclination	97.5°
Period	min

InflateSail

Launched together with: Cartosat 2E - NIUSAT - CE-SAT 1 - Max Valier Sat - Venta 1 - CICERO 6 - Lemur-2 34-41 - Blue Diamond - Green Diamond - Red Diamond - COMPASS 2 - LituanicaSAT 2 - URSA MAIOR - NUDTSat - Pegasus - UCLSat - VZLUsat 1 - D-Sat - Tyvak 53B - Aalto 1 - ROBUSTA 1B - SUCHAI - skCUBE

Spacecraft data:

Prime manufacturer	SSC (Surrey Space Centre)
Platform	CubeSat 3U
Operator
Mass at launch	4 kg
Dry Mass	kg
Basic shape
Dimension (m)
Equipment
Solar array	Splar cells
Stabilization
Propulsion	None
DC power
Design lifetime	3 months

End of live:

Re-entered date:	03 Sep 2017
Lifetime:

Description:

The InflateSail nanosatellite is equipped with a 1 m long inflatable boom and 10 m2 deorbiting sail. InflateSail′s primary goal is to demonstrate the effectiveness of using a drag sail in LEO to increase the rate at which satellites lose altitude and reenter the Earth′s atmosphere. A system like this could be fitted before launch to any satellite bound for LEO, and then used at the end of the satellite′s life to remove it from orbit, and prevent the satellite from being involved in any potentially disastrous debris-creating collisions in the future.

Ref.: #3(SD539), #7(JR740), #14 - update: 22.03.18