A consortium led by Portuguese start-up Spaceo has won a European Space Agency contract to test an inflatable drag sail designed to deorbit small satellites.
Founded in 2023, Spaceo develops compact inflatable systems to deorbit satellites, improving end-of-life mission management. The company secured €100,000 in pre-seed funding from Portugal Ventures and early support from the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centre.
On 18 March, a Spaceo-led consortium won a €3 million ESA contract to test the company’s inflatable satellite deorbit system by 2028. The other three companies involved in the consortium are GomSpace from Luxembourg, SpaceLocker from France, and SolidFlow from the Netherlands.
Spaceo will be responsible for providing the inflatable drag sail and will oversee the on-ground, launch, and orbital testing phases of the mission. GomSpace will provide the satellite platform, SpaceLocker will optimize and manage the space and systems available on the satellite, and SolidFlow will supply the gas generator that will inflate the system.
According to Spaceo, the mission will be launched in 2027, with the satellite being deployed into a low Earth orbit at an altitude of around 500 kilometres. Following its deployment, the drag sail will be deployed and inflated within five hours. The system measures just 20 square centimeters in size and, once deployed, will inflate to around 1.5 square meters.
Over the course of the next year, the satellite’s altitude will be reduced by 100 kilometres. A full deorbit is expected to occur within 14 to 16 months. According to Spaceo CEO João Loureiro, without the drag sail, the satellite would remain in orbit for approximately 10 years.
While the system being deployed as part of this test is optimized for satellites weighing up to 20 kilograms, the company has stated that the sail can also be scaled for larger satellites.
Zero Debris Charter
The European Space Agency’s Zero Debris Charter includes stringent deorbiting requirements aimed at minimizing space debris and achieving debris neutrality by 2030. Satellites in low Earth orbit must complete their disposal phase within a maximum of five years after their mission ends, down from the previous 25-year standard.
While adherence to the Zero Debris Charter is voluntary, many companies and institutions have already pledged to follow it. As a result, systems like those being developed by Spaceo may become a staple in future satellite missions.
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