A group of European companies as part of the spacecraft with the SWIFT (SWIFT) project plans to launch a satellite with the open sails in 2028. report Release Spacenews.
A contract of 3 million euros to create a satellite from the European Space Agency (ECA) has been received by a group of companies, headed by Spaceo Spanish startup.
The main mission of the spacecraft is a testament to information technology controlled from near orbit. To do this, the satellite will receive an open sail, with the surface area, when it plunges into the atmosphere of the Earth, will increase from 20 cm square to 1.5 square meters. Within 14-16 months, the height of a 20 km Cubsat will decrease from 500 to 400 km, while not quickly, this will take about 10 years.
Earlier, European Spaceflight reported that Eka has expanded the life of Sentinel-2A satellite in a year.
In February, the same publication said that the agency will start a performance task to refuel with rocket fuel in near orbit.