Re: Lightsail-assisted
Point 4
It was launched on a falcon heavy and then deployed from Prox1 a larger space craft just a few weeks ago.
The last few weeks have seen the team working to detumble the craft, get the solar panels opened and finally yesterday deploy the sail.
At each turn they have seriously taken their time to ensure they fully understood what the spacecraft was doing, what it was telling them on its passes over the four official tracking stations and how its attitude control systems (momentum wheel and torsion bars) actually operates in space. They've been very cautious to ensure the whole experiment can be conducted.
So no the timing of the deployment has nothing to do with its existing momentum.. in fact quite the reverse.
It it's lightsail powered, that's the whole and only point of the experiment in the first place..
The experiment is to raise the orbit apogee and not lengthen it's perigree (actually I believe it's perigree is due to shorten) repeatedly over a month after which time the atmosphere breaking effect on each orbit will counteract any lightsail benefit.. it will then take a further 11 months to deorbit..
And why will they deorbit so quickly... Partly because they don't think the attitude control will be accurate enough to do more than that and Pauly because that was within the launch permissions they were granted.
As far as boosting it out of Leo rather then letting it fall..... Sounds really reasonable... Why use the force of gravity... when you could use expensive (to build and launch) boosters and a whole different and incredibly expensive guidance system to avoid hitting anything in GEO orbit.......
Biting the hand that feeds IT
