(Rome) – An intelligent mini-engine capable of de-orbiting long-lived satellites has been developed by Italian Luca Rossettini and has been selected as a finalist for the European Inventors Award.
The prize is organized every year by the European Patent Office (EPO).
Rossettini’s idea was to clean up space by preventing the accumulation of hazardous waste and debris.
Since the launch of the first satellite, more than 36,000 objects have been in space, including many pieces of rockets and unused satellites that can cause serious problems.
In addition, multiple operational satellites force them to modify their trajectories frequently to avoid impacts.
In fact, “every time a satellite is launched, a bet is made that none of this debris hits,” says Rossettini, co-founder of D-Orbit.
The number of satellites will increase rapidly in the coming years and despite regulations to remove them from space at the end of their useful lives, doing so is increasingly complex and the amount of space debris continues. officer
To solve this problem, the Italian company T-Orbit, one of the world’s leaders in in-orbit satellite management systems, has developed a small machine called T3 under Rossettini’s direction.
It can be easily integrated into satellites before launch, and activated when the satellite reaches its useful life, and when it fails.
The small but powerful motor alters the satellite’s orbit, causing it to burn up in the atmosphere, preventing it from moving with the risk of colliding with other objects and increasing hazardous debris.
This idea has allowed Rossettini and his team to be among the three finalists in the “PMI” category of the European Inventors Prize, whose winners will be announced on July 4 in Valencia (Spain). (Rome).
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