Aerobraking to lower apogee in earth orbit with the Small Payload ORbit Transfer (SPORT™) microsatellite vehicle

AeroAstro, Inc. and Astronautic Technology Sdn. Bhd. (a Malaysian space company) are commercially developing the Small Payload ORbit Transfer (SPORT) vehicle, which uses advanced earth aerobraking technology to achieve efficient orbit transfer from Geosynchronous-Transfer Orbit (GTO) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). After being delivered to GTO by a large launch vehicle, such as Ariane, SPORT uses its onboard propulsion system to adjust its perigee altitude to about 150 km. At this altitude, the large deployable aerobrake produces enough drag to reduce the apogee altitude from 36,000+ km to about 1,000 km in approximately 300 orbits. Upon reaching the target apogee altitude, the propulsion system is used to raise the perigee to the desired altitude, thereby allowing SPORT to release its payload. Aerobraking technology enables orbit transfer in a cost-effective manner, reducing the overall mass of the spacecraft by drastically reducing the amount of propellant required to achieve the maneuver. The development of the SPORT aerobrake technology is discussed, along with a comparison of the SPORT aerobraking approach to NASA’s successful aerobraking missions: Magellan and Mars Global Surveyor. The paper concludes with a discussion of the SPORT aerobrake details, including structural design, brake deployment, stability and control, and auxiliary features