The Deployment Tests of the ESA-Dragliner in the Zero-G Lab

The ESA-Dragliner project, led by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, in collaboration with Aurora Propulsion Technologies, GRADEL, and the University of Luxembourg, aims to develop, manufacture, assemble, and test a breadboard model of a tether-based deorbiting system for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) telecommunication satellites. The selected technology for the Dragliner project is the PB (Plasma Brake) microtether, an innovative propellant-free solution designed to efficiently deorbit satellites in LEO. Utilizing Coulomb drag, this system is lightweight, compact, requires minimal power, and operates autonomously without drawing resources from the host satellite during deorbiting. The objective of this project is to design, manufacture, assemble, and test a Breadboard Model (BBM) of a Tether-based deorbiting system for Low-Earth Orbit Satcoms. Additionally, the project aims to analyze and optimize a deorbiting strategy utilizing this technology to achieve successful deorbiting of a LEO spacecraft of maximum 250 kg down to a maximum altitude of 400 km, within 2 years from 850 km original altitude, or 100 days from 550 km original altitude. This paper explains the plans of the deployment tests of the Dragliner project in the Zero-G Lab of SnT-University of Luxembourg.