14 DAY TRIAL // A small start-up company in France, called Yellowsat, proposes a new system for tracking and controlling satellites that drift from their designated positions in geostationary orbit. The European Space Agency (ESA) has already shown an interest in the technology.
As the name implies, geostationary satellites always maintain the same position with respect to Earth’s surface. However, they do tend to drift a little from time to time, which is why engineers build them with large tanks that fuel small thrusters.
These thrusters provide sufficient push to enable the vehicles to remain in place for up to 15 years. However, there comes a time when the fuel is exhausted, and the spacecraft starts to wobble in orbit.
As they are located more than 36,000 kilometers (22,370 miles) above the planet's surface, any drift is noticeable. Despite the fact that the steering fuel is depleted, the satellites continue to operate normally, but their operators can no longer use the contaminated data.
One possible answer to this problem is to create refueling stations in orbit, or small satellites capable of delivering the necessary fuel straight to the geostationary spacecraft. Implementing these measures, if at all possible, could take at least several years.
Another solution, proposed by Yellowsat, is to use what little fuel satellites at the end of their reserves have left, and control only their east-west orientation. This will send them on a course that slowly drigs north and south of the Equator.
The French company recently introduced “a one-stop-shop solution for affordable access to satellite services by combining low-cost tracking terminals and real-time monitoring and control,” ESA reports.
Using funds provided by the agency's ARTES Newcomers Initiative, the company “developed a simple embedded controller with software that can move antennas to follow these satellites, eliminating the need for complex equipment,” the ESA statement adds.
“The contribution of ESA expertise was key to us, especially in the early stages of the project. It demonstrates that ESA can be very useful in helping smaller companies to develop sustainable services for the highly demanding space industry,” Yellowsat’s Technical Director, Daniel Tits, explains.