In a statement, UPTEC states that the solution developed by the Portuguese company aims to answer the growing number of satellites launched into low earth orbit, below 2000 kilometres in altitude, in the last few years.

8000 active and non-active satellites exist in this orbit, with 25% of them having just been launched in 2022.

The technology “intends to solve one of the main problems in aerospace, in response to NASA’s mission to reach a removal limit of up to 5 years after a satellite ends its mission, which the European Space Agency (ESA) will also adopt soon.”

In that sense, the solution developed by Eptune Engineering will use a “type of attrition-generating parachute” to retrieve satellites five years after the end of their mission.

The special inflatable parachute will distinguish itself “for turning solid after filling” and “reducing the fuel use in the orbit re-entry manoeuvre.”

“The inflatable will use the thin atmosphere as a source of attrition, which allows de-orbiting time of the end-of-life satellites to be cut by 5 to 10 times,” the UPTEC highlights.

Co-financed by the Norte 2020 program in the region of 212 thousand euros, the project centres around the development of base technologies for this solution, namely the inflatable structure, the thermal shield, the manufacturing process and the testing of materials and components.

João Pedro Loureiro, the startup’s founder, states in the statement that the objective is to implement this solution in all satellites that launch into orbit.

“In this first phase, we intend for this technology to be coupled to new satellites that are put into orbit, while in the medium-term future our solution could be transported into space and from there coupled to end-of-life satellites we want to bring back to Earth,” he explained.

“To turn the prototype into reality,” many complementary analyses were carried out with the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon and the diverse prototypes and components were tested in the Centre of Engineering and Product Development (CEiiA).