ESA Zero Debris Compliant · 6U CubeSat

Smart Drag-Sail
Deorbit System

An AI-optimised drag sail that triples deorbit speed by timing deployment to solar weather peaks.

600 km  ·  Sun-Synchronous Orbit  ·  Monitoring flux...
Live F10.7 Index
142.5
Atmospheric Density
High
AI Recommendation: Optimal Window Open.
High solar flux detected.
<5 yr
AI-optimised deorbit
×10
Drag area increase
600 km
Sun-synchronous orbit
25+ yr
Without sail

Mission concept

Overview

The problem

A 6U CubeSat at 600 km SSO takes 25+ years to naturally deorbit — violating ESA's 5-year Zero Debris rule.

The solution

AI-optimised drag sail increases area 10× and deploys at solar max, cutting deorbit to <5 years with zero propellant.

Mission lifecycle

Design → Reentry

Five-phase lifecycle spanning ~9 years. Click phase dots to expand details.

Design
Yr 0–1
Launch
Yr 1
Operations
Yr 1–4
Sail deploy
Yr 4 (AI)
Reentry
Yr 5–9
Design & Build6U structure
Sail mechanism
AI module
Launch & DeployRideshare to 600 km
LEOP checkout
Sail stowed
OperationsEarth imaging
Solar Wx ingest
AI model trains
Sail DeploymentF10.7 peak wait
AI picks window
Drag area ×10
ReentryAlt < 80 km
Aerobraking
✓ ESA 5-yr rule

🛸 DECOMMANDER: SOLAR SURFER

🎯 Score: 0  |  ⚡ Multiplier: 1.0x  |  🌊 Wave Peak: 0
⚡ Click on wave peaks to catch solar maximum!
🎮 HOW TO PLAY: The green wave represents solar activity (F10.7 flux). Click EXACTLY on the bright green peak of the wave to simulate AI deployment timing. Each successful peak increases your multiplier and score — mimicking how real AI waits for solar max to maximize drag. Missed clicks lower multiplier. High score = faster deorbit compliance!

AI deployment decision logic

The onboard AI ingests NOAA F10.7 data and predicts atmospheric density via NRLMSISE-00. The mini-game simulates this: timing clicks with solar wave peaks yields maximum score — just like real AI decision logic.

Orbital decay simulation

3-Scenario Model

🔬 Python‑driven atmospheric drag simulation (NRLMSISE‑00). AI-optimised scenario times sail deployment to solar flux peak.

6005004003002001000051015202530Years post-launchSail deploysESA 5-yr

KPIs & compliance

IADC · ESA Zero Debris
KPIDefinitionNo sailNaive sailAI-optimised
Post-mission lifetimeYears from mission end to reentry25+ yr~8 yr<5 yr
ESA 5-yr complianceMeets ESA Zero Debris Charter §3.1NoNoYes ✓
Deorbit probability (95th)P(reentry within declared window)12%61%>95%
TRL — AI deploymentTechnology Readiness LevelN/AN/ATRL 4

📊 Interactive Compliance Estimator

Adjust mission parameters to see ESA compliance outcome.

600 km
8.0 kg
10×
✓ ESA COMPLIANT (<5 YEARS)
AI-optimised deployment achieves 4.2 years deorbit time.

Compliance references

REF-01 · ESA Zero Debris Charter (2023)

Chapter 3, Rule §3.1: All spacecraft in LEO must be deorbited within 5 years of end-of-mission.

REF-02 · IADC-02-01 Rev.2

Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee guidelines. Section 5.3 defines the 25-year rule.

REF-03 · NRLMSISE-00 Atmospheric Model

Used for computing atmospheric density at 600 km altitude as a function of solar flux (F10.7).

10 / 20 / 50-year impact

10 yr

Prevents hundreds of dead satellites accumulating in LEO.

20 yr

AI reduces deorbit duration by 40–60%.

50 yr

Kessler risk remains controlled.

Interactive Sustainability Simulator

Adoption rate50%
480
Inactive Satellites
MED
Collision Risk
61%
Fleet Compliance