Drag Sometimes Effective in Collision Avoidance: Planet Labs
Differential drag could be an effective collision avoidance technique for satellites, though its efficacy in causing orbit changes depends on such things as the operating altitude and space weather conditions, Planet Labs said in a 10-page cubesat study filed Friday…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
in docket 18-313. It said at 400 km, differential drag is comparable to a low-thrust propulsion system. At 500 km, it is less effective, though it can still produce position changes.