The deployment of the Icarus-1 drag sail, which was supplied by Cranfield University, marks the end of mission operations for SSTL’s TechDemoSat-1. This sail increases the cross-sectional area of the satellite and hence atmospheric drag to speed up reentry.
SSTL posted a press release announcing the deployment. Jonathan Amos from the BBC tweeted with a special mention of the achievements of TDS-1 in GNSS Reflectometry.
Meanwhile SSTL staff members are working on an upcoming satellite mission carrying an opportunistic GNSS reflectometry experiment. We hope to bring you news about this new project very soon.