{"id":17248,"date":"2023-11-11T00:41:59","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T16:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/starfish-space-scrubs-plan-for-a-satellite-rendezvous-after-thruster-suffers-anomaly\/"},"modified":"2023-11-11T00:41:59","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T16:41:59","slug":"starfish-space-scrubs-plan-for-a-satellite-rendezvous-after-thruster-suffers-anomaly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/starfish-space-scrubs-plan-for-a-satellite-rendezvous-after-thruster-suffers-anomaly\/","title":{"rendered":"Starfish Space scrubs plan for a satellite rendezvous after thruster suffers anomaly"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
An artist\u2019s conception shows Starfish Space\u2019s Otter Pup spacecraft in orbit. (Starfish Space Illustration)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Five months after a tilt-a-whirl spin spoiled the debut of Starfish Space\u2019s first spacecraft, the Tukwila, Wash.- based startup has halted efforts to put its Otter Pup back on track to demonstrate an on-orbit satellite rendezvous.<\/p>\n

Starfish had to abandon its plan to regroup and attempt a rendezvous when the Otter Pup satellite\u2019s electric propulsion thruster suffered an anomaly and could no longer function. \u201cWe determined that we just pushed it a little bit too far,\u201d Starfish co-founder Austin Link told GeekWire.<\/p>\n

The months-long drama began shortly after Otter Pup\u2019s launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in June, when the satellite and the space tug to which it was attached were sent out into low Earth orbit. Launcher\u2019s Orbiter SN3 space tug experienced an anomaly that set it spinning at a rate of nearly one revolution per second, far outside the bounds of normal operating conditions.<\/p>\n

Mission managers deployed Otter Pup immediately on an emergency basis, but Starfish\u2019s spacecraft kept spinning even after it separated from the tug. Link and the rest of the Starfish team worked for weeks to stabilize Otter Pup, and in August they drew up a revised plan to rendezvous with a spacecraft to be named later.<\/p>\n

Starfish put Otter Pup through a round of tests to make sure the spacecraft was healthy. Then the team executed a series of maneuvers with the spacecraft\u2019s Exotrail Hall-effect thruster, which uses xenon as a propellant.<\/p>\n

Link said the electric propulsion thruster fired multiple times over the course of multiple weeks \u2014 for as long as 90 minutes at a time, adding up to a cumulative total in excess of 15 hours. But a few weeks ago, the thruster didn\u2019t fire when commanded to do so. Efforts to get the thruster working again went nowhere.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Starfish Space\u2019s Otter Pup spacecraft goes through pre-launch integration. (Starfish Space Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing destructive about the anomaly,\u201d Link said. \u201cThe satellite is still communicating with us and power-positive, and we\u2019re actually actively running tests on it currently. The satellite just doesn\u2019t make thrust anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starfish and Exotrail haven\u2019t yet identified root cause of the anomaly but are continuing the investigation. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe overall conditions of our mission have been stressing for the thruster, and the maneuvers that we were performing were beyond the expectation of what the original mission would require,\u201d Link said. \u201cThere is still xenon that remains, so we know that propellant is not the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exotrail\u2019s co-founder and CEO, Jean-Luc Maria, told GeekWire via email that \u201cthe issue occurred after a successful commissioning and several hours of nominal firings.\u201d He noted that \u201cvery cold temperatures, outside of the specification \/ qualification envelope, have been monitored at the thruster head level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although it will no longer be possible to demonstrate rendezvous and docking with a target spacecraft, Starfish\u2019s first space mission is far from over. \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate in that we\u2019re still able to run a lot of tests in orbit,\u201d Link said.<\/p>\n

Eventually, atmospheric drag will be Otter Pup\u2019s downfall. \u201cIt will deorbit naturally, just due to orbital decay, from Earth\u2019s extended atmosphere in roughly about five years,\u201d Link said.<\/p>\n

Starfish Space is already getting ready for the next mission. \u201cWe are building a second Otter Pup, and have been since the week after Otter Pup was initially separated, spinning at 330 degrees per second,\u201d Link said. \u201cIt will use a very similar design to the first Otter Pup. This includes an Exotrail thruster, and we are excited to continue to work with Exotrail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n