Insider Brief
- Portuguese aerospace company Spaceo has secured a €3 million European Space Agency (ESA) contract to develop SWIFT, an inflatable deorbiting system designed to remove defunct satellites from orbit.
- The SWIFT system will deploy a 1.5-square-meter drag sail to enable controlled descent of satellites up to 24 kg, reducing space debris in low Earth orbit (LEO) and mitigating risks posed by inactive spacecraft.
- Supported by ESA’s ARTES program, the project involves Luxembourg’s GomSpace, France’s SpaceLocker, and the Netherlands’ SolidFlow; with development slated for completion by 2028, potentially making SWIFT a global standard for satellite deorbiting.
A consortium led by Portuguese company Spaceo has won a €3 million European Space Agency contract to develop an airbag-like system designed to remove defunct satellites from orbit.
According to Macau Business, the project, called SWIFT (Spacecraft With Inflatable Termination), will enable small satellites, up to 24 kilograms, to deorbit in a controlled manner rather than lingering in space as debris.
“Currently, satellites complete their mission and remain in Earth orbit for decades, aggravating the problem of space debris,” Spaceo founder João Pedro Loureiro is quoted as saying. “SWIFT will allow satellites to be disintegrated in a controlled manner, reducing the growing threat of space junk.”
The technology, which is expected to be fully developed by 2028, consists of a compact device occupying 100 cubic millimeters that inflates upon activation, deploying a drag sail measuring 1.5 square meters. This mechanism will facilitate the controlled descent of small satellites by increasing atmospheric drag. While initially designed for small satellites, the system is scalable and could be adapted for larger spacecraft and constellations, Spaceo co-founder Pedro Miguel Carneiro claimed.
The SWIFT project is supported by the European Space Agency’s ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) program and involves a consortium of European aerospace firms, including Luxembourg’s GomSpace, France’s SpaceLocker, and the Netherlands’ SolidFlow. As part of the development process, the system will undergo testing in low Earth orbit (LEO), one of the most congested regions of space, with a planned launch reaching 500 kilometers in altitude.
Once operational, SWIFT could play a significant role in speeding up the removal of inactive satellites, of which there are an estimated 9,900, according to the article. The problem of space debris has been a growing concern for space agencies worldwide, with defunct satellites posing collision risks to operational spacecraft and the International Space Station.
The company expects that by 2028, SWIFT will be one of the first Portuguese-built space systems to operate in orbit, marking a milestone in the country’s aerospace history since the launch of PoSAT-1 in 1993. If widely adopted, SWIFT could become a global standard for satellite deorbiting, ensuring that future satellites are safely removed from space at the end of their lifespan.
Greg Bock
Greg Bock is an award-winning investigative journalist with more than 25 years of experience in print, digital, and broadcast news. His reporting has spanned crime, politics, business and technology, earning multiple Keystone Awards and a Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters honors. Through the Associated Press and Nexstar Media Group, his coverage has reached audiences across the United States.
Share this article:
