Spaceo leads ESA project to deploy inflatable sail for satellite disposal
by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Mar 20, 2025
A European initiative spearheaded by Portuguese start-up Spaceo has secured a European Space Agency (ESA) contract to create a novel solution for clearing obsolete satellites and debris from orbit.
The program, called SWIFT (Spacecraft With Inflatable Termination), has received euro 3 million in funding to develop a deployable sail-like structure that acts as a drag device to hasten the descent of defunct satellites. The first orbital demonstration of this system is scheduled for 2028.
Spaceo is managing all aspects of the SWIFT initiative, including both the terrestrial development phase and the subsequent launch and in-space evaluation.
“The launch is planned for 2027,” highlights Joao Pedro Loureiro, founder of Spaceo.
A launch vehicle equipped with the SWIFT system will ascend to a 500-kilometer altitude, where initial trials will take place in low Earth orbit (LEO).
From launch to full deployment, the SWIFT system is expected to be operational within about five hours.
“The tests in LEO, or Low Earth Orbit, are crucial because they are conducted in the most ‘polluted areas by end-of-life satellites, where the availability of effective and efficient deorbiting systems can have an important added value,” adds the Portuguese entrepreneur.
This effort marks a significant milestone for Portugal’s aerospace sector, with SWIFT poised to be among the first domestically developed space technologies in orbit since PoSAT-1 launched in 1993.
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