Flight Model Development of Small Tether Deployment Mechanism For Nano-Satellite Cute-1.7 + APD

摘要

One of the effective ways for nano-satellites not to become debris is to deorbit them with an electro dynamic tether. The authors focused on tether deployment which is a key technology to deorbit debris, and developed prototypes of a tether deployment mechanism and conducted many evaluation tests such as micro gravity test using a drop tower facility, environmental tests and so on. Furthermore, we developed a flight model installed in Cute-1.7 + APD, the nano-satellite developed by LSS, Matunaga Lab, Tokyo Tech, which was launched into orbit by a Japanese rocket M-V-8 on Feb. 2006. In this paper, the characteristics of the tether deployment mechanism and the results of the evaluation tests are described.