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Vestigo Aerospace Reaches TRL-8, Prepares for Flight Demonstration Mission
Vestigo Aerospace has successfully reached Technology Readiness Level 8 (TRL-8) for its Spinnaker product line of dragsails, designed to provide deorbit capability for smallsats, orbital transfer vehicles, and launch vehicle stages. This milestone followed rigorous environmental testing, including vibration testing to SmallSat GEVS standards and thermal cycling. The tests ensure that the Spinnaker dragsails are ready for operational use in the harsh environment of space.
What are Spinnaker Dragsails?
The Spinnaker product line of dragsails provides a low size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) solution to meet FCC requirements. A dragsail is a thin-film membrane deployed by a set of lightweight booms. Once deployed, the dragsail accelerates the deorbit of the host vehicle through aerodynamic drag. The Spinnaker design enables dragsail deployment via command from the host vehicle or autonomously based upon a stored deployment time, providing deorbit capability even if the host vehicle is inoperative. The result is a deorbit system with a higher reliability than the use of on-board propulsion and eliminates the need to deorbit the host vehicle prior to the end of its useful life. Spinnaker2 is sized to deorbit 16U CubeSats and larger, up to ESPA-class small satellites. Spinnaker3 has the same form factor as Spinnaker2 in the stowed configuration but its larger sail is sized for small satellites and launch vehicle stages up to 1,000 kg in mass.
Spinnaker dragsails offer straightforward integration with the host vehicle, with a simple bolt-on mechanical interface and a single electrical connection. All Spinnaker dragsails employ radiation- hardened electronics and life-tested batteries to ensure reliable deployment after 5 years on-orbit. Sail material is designed to withstand the on-orbit environment throughout the deorbit phase, including degradation due to atomic oxygen. The Spinnaker design is required to have an end-to-end reliability of greater than 99% for sail deployment and deorbit operations. The Spinnaker product line is designed to allow customers to meet streamlined FCC Part 25 licensing requirements (reducing FCC application fees by over $440,000) and comply with the FCC’s 5-year deorbit rule which goes into effect in September 2024.
Preparing for a 2025 Flight Demonstration
Vestigo Aerospace is set to demonstrate the flight capabilities of its Spinnaker3 dragsail aboard Astro Digital's Corvus- Micro spacecraft bus. This Flight Demonstration Mission will launch in early 2025 as part of the SpaceX Transporter 13 rideshare payload. Maverick Space Systems is providing launch integration support to Vestigo for the mission. The mission will capture images and engineering telemetry during Spinnaker3 sail deployment, and will validate system performance during the five-month deorbit phase.
A successful flight demonstration will allow Spinnaker3 to achieve TRL- 9, a crucial milestone for commercialization of this scalable dragsail technology.
Strategic Partners
Vestigo Aerospace has collaborated with several key industry strategic partners in advancing Spinnaker dragsail technology. NeXolve supplies the Spinnaker booms and sails and is working with Vestigo on the development of our CubeSat-class Spinnaker1 configuration. Astro Digital provides assembly, integration and testing support for Spinnaker dragsails and will provide the Corvus-Micro spacecraft bus for the flight demonstration mission. Maverick Space Systems conducted vibration testing for the Spinnaker units, and is providing launch integration services for the flight demonstration mission.
Vestigo’s commitment to sustainability in space is evident through its focus on delivering solutions that address orbital debris challenges. As the company moves closer to the early 2025 demonstration, it sets a new standard for deorbit technology in the small satellite industry.
If you are interested in learning more about Spinnaker dragsails, contact us at info@vestigoaerospace.com.
