Airbus Introduces 'Detumbler' Device To Address Satellite Tumbling In Low Earth Orbit (spacedaily.com) 23
Airbus has launched an innovative "detumbler" device designed to mitigate the risks posed by tumbling satellites in space. Space Daily reports: The Detumbler, a brainchild of Airbus and supported by the French Space Agency CNES under their Tech4SpaceCare initiative, was unveiled on Saturday, November 11. This magnetic damping device, weighing approximately 100 grams, is engineered to be attached to satellites nearing the end of their operational lives. Its purpose is to prevent these satellites from tumbling, a common issue in orbital flight dynamics, especially in LEO. The device features a central rotor wheel and magnets that interact with the Earth's magnetic field, effectively damping unwanted motion.
Airbus' development of the Detumbler commenced in 2021. Its operational principle is simple yet innovative. When a satellite functions normally, the rotor behaves akin to a compass, aligning with the Earth's magnetic field. However, if the satellite begins to tumble, the movement of the rotor induces eddy currents, creating a friction torque that dampens this motion. The design of the Detumbler involves a stator housing, complete with a bottom plate and top cover, along with the rotor comprising the central axle, rotor wheel, and magnets.
Tumbling satellites, particularly those in LEO, pose a significant challenge for future active debris removal missions. Dead satellites naturally tend to tumble due to orbital flight dynamics. The introduction of the Airbus Detumbler could revolutionize this scenario, making satellites easier to capture during debris-clearing missions and enhancing the overall safety and sustainability of space operations. Airbus is expected to perform an in-orbit demonstration of the Detumbler in early 2024.
Airbus' development of the Detumbler commenced in 2021. Its operational principle is simple yet innovative. When a satellite functions normally, the rotor behaves akin to a compass, aligning with the Earth's magnetic field. However, if the satellite begins to tumble, the movement of the rotor induces eddy currents, creating a friction torque that dampens this motion. The design of the Detumbler involves a stator housing, complete with a bottom plate and top cover, along with the rotor comprising the central axle, rotor wheel, and magnets.
Tumbling satellites, particularly those in LEO, pose a significant challenge for future active debris removal missions. Dead satellites naturally tend to tumble due to orbital flight dynamics. The introduction of the Airbus Detumbler could revolutionize this scenario, making satellites easier to capture during debris-clearing missions and enhancing the overall safety and sustainability of space operations. Airbus is expected to perform an in-orbit demonstration of the Detumbler in early 2024.
Old tech (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: Old tech (Score:2)
If this is for otherwise dead birds in LEO... (Score:2, Offtopic)
You'd think instead of a 'detumbler' you'd want a magnetic brake system... and add drag in a controlled manner to have more control over when and where it comes down.
Re: If this is for otherwise dead birds in LEO... (Score:1)
Get inventing then.
Re: (Score:2)
It's already a thing, smartass.
Re: (Score:3)
You'd think instead of a 'detumbler' you'd want a magnetic brake system... and add drag in a controlled manner to have more control over when and where it comes down.
Drag systems are being developed by a number of players, but this is likely to be more than a 100 gram subsystem. Also, if a detumbler operates before it's supposed to, nothing happens-- the satellite isn't tumbling in the first place. If a drag system operates before it's supposed to, it kills the satellite. So a drag system introduces a critical failure mechanism, while a detumbler doesn't.
With that said, I'm surprised tumbling is a problem in LEO. Viscoelastic damping and spin-orbit coupling ought to det
To be attached? (Score:4, Insightful)
I suspect the hard part will be building the vehicle that attaches it in the first place. Not an easy task.
Re:To be attached? (Score:5, Informative)
I think the idea is to attach it before launch. Then at EOL when the satellite can no longer control its attitude, this device will at least keep it from tumbling.
Re: (Score:2)
I got the impression this was for old satellites. All satellites already have their own attitude adjustment systems, if you were to do this before launch you might just as well add in a bit more redundancy to those than nail a seperate one on the outside.
Re: (Score:2)
Having a passive device will help with satellites that suffer power loss.
I suppose you could attach it in orbit, but it seems like it would be difficult on a satellite that is already tumbling. Easier than trying to grab the whole thing I suppose, if you only have to get it on the surface somewhere.
Re:To be attached? (Score:5, Informative)
The confusion comes from poor wording in the article, I think. The sentence in the article says "This magnetic damping device, weighing approximately 100 grams, is engineered to be attached to satellites nearing the end of their operational lives.", which does make it sound like it is to be attached to satellites already in orbit and reaching their end of life, but I think that's just the author's poor wording, or perhaps his own confusion. The description on Airbus' website [airbus.com] doesn't use that wording. Seems to make much more sense to build it into satellites before launch than to need a whole extra mission to fit it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Whether TFS has anything right or not is up for question, but what it says if you actually read it is that they (At least whoever wrote TFS) propose attaching it to satellites nearing the end of their operational lives, meaning they aren't tumbling yet.
It's been dying for a long time (Score:4, Funny)
But it's only a matter of months now. Surely Tumblr doesn't need help to die faster.
100 gram? (Score:2)
So we could wear one on the way home from the bar?
HAMSAT? (Score:3)
Hasn't HAMSAT been doing that since like the 1980's?? If I remember correctly they even use a crossed set of bar magnets and painted their antenna ground plane with light and dark coatings to make it spin for stabilization. One larger magnet kept it aligned with Earth's magnetic field, and the other limited the spin rate via eddy currents to something reasonable.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, this was in use on U.S. military satellites -- many different ones -- at least by 1980. I know because back then I tested the software used to control that feature. I hope Airbus does not plan to patent this. If they do, they are in for an expensive surprise.
Re: (Score:2)