Drag Deorbit Device: A New Standard Reentry Actuator for CubeSats

The increasing number of CubeSats being launched has raised concerns about orbital debris because most of these satellites have no means of active orbit control. Some technologies exist to increase the surface area of a CubeSat and expedite deorbit due to aerodynamic drag in low Earth orbit, but most of these devices cannot be retracted, and hence cannot be used for orbital maneuvering or collision avoidance. This paper presents the drag deorbit device module that is capable of deorbiting a 12U, 15 kg CubeSat from a 700 km circular orbit in under 25 years and can be deployed and retracted to modulate the aerodynamic drag force experienced by the satellite. This facilitates the use of aerodynamic drag for orbital maneuvering, collision avoidance, and the active targeting of a deorbit location. In addition, the geometry of this drag device provides three-axis attitude stabilization of the host CubeSat using aerodynamic and gravity gradient torques, which is useful for many missions and provides a predictabl...