Small Plasma Brake (APB-S)
Aurora Propulsion Technologies
Propellant-free deorbiting tether for CubeSats — fits TunaCan extra volume allocation, up to 400m tether, effective for satellites up to ~100kg on orbits up to 1000km.
Technical specifications
- Deorbit Mechanism
- Propellant-free Coulomb drag microtether
- Tether Length
- Up to 400 m
- Max Serviceable Satellite Mass
- ~100 kg
- Effective Orbit Altitude
- Up to 1000 km
- Form Factor
- TunaCan extra volume allocation
- IOD Status
- Planned 2025
About
The Small Plasma Brake (APB-S) is a propellant-free deorbiting solution designed for CubeSats, sized to fit within the ‘TunaCan’ extra volume allocation standard. It deploys up to 400 meters of an electrically charged microtether — thinner than a human hair — which interacts with the ionospheric environmental plasma to generate a Coulomb drag force that deorbits the satellite without consuming any propellant.
APB-S is effective for satellites up to approximately 100 kg across most LEO altitudes and remains effective for CubeSats on orbits up to 1000 km. It is planned for an in-orbit demonstration in 2025. A fully independent version is under development to allow compliance with 95% deorbiting requirements without requiring a full platform reliability analysis.
Documentation
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.
