Many organizations are currently turning to nanosatellite-based systems because they can accomplish scientific and other missions at cost levels well below those of traditional large spacecraft. Because of the inherently small sizes of nanosats, however, their proliferation poses a concern in that they are difficult to track, and may be released into altitudes where their orbital lifetimes will exceed the 25 years mandated by current and pending guidelines and regulations.

To enable researchers to continue to take advantage of the responsive and low-cost capabilities of nanosats while meeting orbital debris mitigation requirements, TUI has developed the nanoTerminator™, a very small electrodynamic-tether based deorbit system sized and priced for use on nanosatellites and other small spacecraft.

For more information, please refer to the nanoTerminator Spec Sheet, or contact us at information@tethers.com.

Papers:

• Technology Demonstrator of a Standardized Deorbit Module Designed for CubeSat and RocketPod Applications, SmallSat 2005 paper SSC05-XI-4