Deployable Tape Technology Demonstrated by Millennium Space Systems

With thousands of additional satellites scheduled to be launched into Earth orbit over the next decade, a deployable tape technology has been demonstrated by Boeing company Millennium Space Systems that will reduce the amount of time a satellite spends in orbit.

"What we've proven is a way to safely and deliberately deorbit retired satellites."

Patrick Kelly, Ph.D., the Dragracer program manager at Millennium Space Systems.

Dragracer is the first direct comparison of a drag tape on two identical satellites. The satellite outfitted with a 70m Terminator Tape developed by Tethers Unlimited, burned upon reentry to Earth's atmosphere after eight months. The satellite without tape will naturally deorbit unaided on its journey back to Earth after at least seven years.

"What we've proven is a way to safely and deliberately deorbit retired satellites," said Patrick Kelly, Ph.D., the Dragracer program manager at Millennium Space Systems.

"If a satellite has a two-year operational life, you're looking at a big piece of space debris sticking around for potentially decades," Kelly said. "With drag tape, we significantly reduce the time it remains space debris, and it's one less piece of debris to track."

The Terminator Tape creates additional surface area that interacts with the Earth's atmosphere to create drag, which draws satellites back to Earth faster. The tape is deployed with a simple mechanism when a satellite is ready to de-orbit. And, because the deployable tape technology is so lightweight, it has no effect on the satellite's primary mission.

"Dragracer is the first complete demonstration of safe and rapid deorbit of a satellite by the Terminator Tape Deorbit Module," said Robert Hoyt, president of Tethers Unlimited. "The Terminator Tape is an affordable, lightweight, patented, and now flight-proven solution for responsible end-of-mission disposal of satellites to help ensure the long-term sustainability of space operations."

Millennium Space designed and developed Dragracer in just nine months – and Dragracer then launched from Auckland, New Zealand, November 19, 2020. The program was a collaborative effort with Tethers Unlimited, mission launch service provider TriSept and launch vehicle provider Rocket Lab.

(Image provided with Millennium Space Systems news release)