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I am surprised at it being targeted at cube sats. There's enough atmosphere in LEO that I am surprised that it's a net positive, frankly. I mean: the ISS requi
by TheLoneWolfling 11y ago
I am surprised at it being targeted at cube sats.
There's enough atmosphere in LEO that I am surprised that it's a net positive, frankly. I mean: the ISS requires a reboost every few months.
- greglindahl 11y agoI don't know where you got the LEO restriction from. All of the Planetary Society pages are clear that this LEO test is a test, and the real deal is above LEO.
- TheLoneWolfling 11y agoIt's not a restriction for solar sails. I know that. But the grandparent comment said "It's mainly targeted at cube sats". And cubesats tend to be LEO-based. (They tend to be the cheapest thing possible - and its harder to get into a higher orbit. And they tend to be launched parasitically to boot.) Hence, talking about LEO.
- jccooper 11y agoThey're hoping to enable cubesats (or at least small sats) to do deep space or planetary missions by proving a low-mass and low-complexity propulsion system.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]