Spinnaker3 drag sail set for test launch
A drag sail developed at Purdue University to pull launch vehicles in space back to Earth is set to undergo a test launch.
The mission is scheduled to launch today (September 2, 2021) from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California to evaluate how well the prototype helps its vehicle deorbit from space after mission completion.
Faster deorbiting times could mitigate against spacecraft and launch vehicles turning into space debris as they wait to deorbit, a process that Purdue said can take days, months or years without assistance. Abandoned, lost or post-mission space vehicles are part of the more than nine thousand tons of space debris currently traveling through Earth’s lower orbit.
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Named the Spinnaker3, the drag sail will be riding on a rocket from Firefly Aerospace along with six other prototypes for testing. The launch is a part of Firefly’s DREAM Mission, carrying educational payloads into orbit.
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