Skip to main content

Estonian mission will deploy ‘plasma brake’ to deorbit satellites faster


Estonia’s ESTCube-2 satellite is set for takeoff this week with an ambitious mission: the first demonstration of “plasma brake” technology to deorbit satellites faster and help reduce space debris. To achieve this, ESTCube-2 will also for the first time use electric sail (or e-sail) technology. This is a type of tether devised by Pekka Janhunen of the Finnish Meterological Institute (FMI) as a propellant-free mechanism of exploring the Solar System. The satellite’s e-sail is an interweaved aluminium tether line 50 metres in length. It’s made up of 50-micrometre wires, no bigger than the average human hair. In low-Earth orbit, the…

This story continues at The Next Web

from The Next Web https://ift.tt/57Evz1d
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TNW Podcast: Boris comes over to co-host; Slack’s Cal Henderson talks European tech

 Welcome to the new episode of the TNW Podcast — the show where we discuss the latest developments in the European technology ecosystem and feature interviews with some of the most interesting people in the industry. In today’s episode, Andrii is joined by Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, co-founder, member of the board, and former CEO of TNW. The topics discussed include the jobs created by Dutch startups, giant state funding for energy projects, translations of the word ‘computer’, and a bunch of other things in between. In the interview section, we’re featuring a conversation with Cal Henderson, co-founder and… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/jUgcNFD
Post a Comment
Read more

Why is Venus so inhospitable? ESA launches new mission to find out

The European Space Agency (ESA) has embarked on a new mission to explore our closest planetary neighbour Venus in unprecedented detail.  Known as EnVision, the spacecraft will study Venus from the planet’s inner core to its outer atmosphere, to help astronomers understand why the scorching, toxic world is so different from Earth.  Work will begin on the spacecraft and its instruments later this year, following the selection of an industrial contractor. EnVision is set to launch on board an Ariane 6 rocket from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana in 2031.  “EnVision will answer longstanding open questions about Venus, arguably the… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/anZTFDP
Post a Comment
Read more

2024’s most important travel tech trends

Guest post by Singapore Tourism Board As the tourism industry continues its post-pandemic recovery in an increasingly uncertain travel market, a question that has dawned upon us is — what’s next? Naturally, many of us are looking towards technology for more opportunities. In 2023, we saw the generative AI boom and further growth of emerging technologies like extended reality (XR) and 5G. While these advances are already shaping the travel sector, there is much more to come as more use cases emerge while the technology further matures. Looking forward into 2024, we can expect teams to do more with less, streamline their… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/seCScOH
Post a Comment
Read more