Tethers Unlimited's ultimate plan is to be able to launch rockets higher into orbit while already in space
Researchers are prepared to launch several satellites satellites which will travel up and down a 1-kilometer tether in space. The launch will take place on April 17, and is designed to allow researchers to test technologies that would be able to hopefully one day launch satellites higher into orbit. Rob Hoylt, chief executive officer of Tethers Unlimited, said the launch on April 17 will allow researchers to see how a spacecraft and tether operate and interact while in orbit.
If a long tether is moving lengthwise, researchers believe that it could possibly catch satellites and launch them higher into space. One of the advantages would be that rockets would require less fuel since they would be launched to lower altitudes.
Hoyt and his team will use three "picosatellites" that will work in sync to do the majority of the work. The satellites will separate once they reach 750 kilometers in altitude, while pulling the 1-kilometer-long tether to its proper position. Two of the satellites will be anchors, with the "inspector" satellite in the middle called Gadget.
The thermos-flask-sized Gadget will use a digital camera to look in the surrounding area for space junk, radiation, and other harmful objects while moving along the tether. Gadget is solar-powered, its motor expected to last at least three months. The estimated trip from one end satellite to the other satellite around seven days.
There has been a recent emphasis put on tethers and other types of devices that could effectively be used in space.
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