World #1 – Israel launches 3 tiny satellites to orbit earth on just 1 gram of fuel a day

Tuesday's World Events   —   Posted on March 23, 2021

(by Nathan Jeffay, The Times of Israel) — Three nanosatellites developed by Israeli scientists aimed at testing an alternative way of providing emergency location services were launched into orbit on Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The launch…succeeded in sending 38 small satellites from 18 countries on their way to space.

The shoebox-sized Israeli satellites, made by the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology, will be placed in an orbit 372 miles above the surface of the planet for a three-year orbit.

The satellites are being launched to test whether a series of small satellites, instead of a single large satellite, can be used to monitor signals from emergency locator beacons used by ships, planes, explorers and hikers. If it is possible, researchers say it could pave the way for much cheaper monitoring of these systems.

“This is a significant step forward for Israeli space research and technology,” aerospace engineer Pini Gurfil, the mastermind behind the project, told The Times of Israel in a recent interview. “This opens new possibilities for locator beacons, and for the miniaturization of satellites which is an important focus internationally, and seen as a disruptive innovation.” [A disruptive innovation is a technology whose application significantly affects the way a market or industry functions].

The trio of satellites will be kept in perfect formation, less than 155 miles apart, thanks to minute on-board navigators.

A specially built fuel system, developed at the Technion along with the rest of the tech onboard, will allow each satellite to complete its mission on 400 grams of krypton, the gas often used to fill fluorescent light bulbs. This averages 133 grams of fuel per year, or 0.37 grams per satellite per day.

The Technion team believes that having three separate satellites located relatively close to one another, each following the location of beacons, will deliver high-accuracy readings. It will be testing the theory with its “low-cost” $9 million satellite trio, funded by the Adelis Foundation and the Israeli Space Agency, which has been in development for almost 10 years.

Gurfil said the fuel efficiency has been achieved by designing the satellites to harness natural forces to maneuver.

“The Earth’s gravity propels them forward, meaning that only minimal fuel is needed for their actual orbit,” said Gurfil. “This is normal for satellites, but what is special is that these satellites also use minimal fuel to control and navigate.

“This is because they very effectively harness natural forces like gravity and atmospheric resistance to find their way. For 10 years we’ve been researching how to fly satellites in a formation without them drifting apart due to natural forces, and in a fuel-efficient way. Now we are ready to launch, and we’re moved and excited.”

Gurfil also said,

“It has taken so long to develop these satellites, especially the tiny fuel system, and this is the first launch of three satellites together by Israel, so all of this is meaningful.”

Israel has already staked a place in the growing field of nanosatellites with several single-satellite launches, including one last month. Gurfil’s team hopes the ambitious three-satellite plan will further bolster Israel’s standing in the global push toward tiny satellites.

Published at timesofisrael .con March 122. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.