A tool to help address the growing problem of orbital space debris has been engineered by Airbus. The Detumbler is a magnetic damping device designed to terminate the tumbling motion of defunct satellites, making it easier to recover and remove them from the extraterrestrial environment.

The 100 g Detumbler incorporates a central rotor wheel and magnets that interact with the Earth’s magnetic field. When attached to an end-of-life and tumbling satellite, the rotor movement induces eddy currentsCAD view of the reference design which includes the stator housing, with a bottom plate and top cover, and the rotor comprising the central axle, the rotor wheel and the magnets. Source: Airbus which serve to dampen the rotating motion and remove the challenge of capturing debris subject to irregular motion.

According to the ESA’s Annual Space Environment Report, 130 million pieces of space debris larger than a millimeter orbit Earth and pose threats to current and future satellite missions. The Kessler Syndrome theory suggests that if the amount of space debris in low Earth orbit reaches a certain degree, a cascade effect will ensue in which debris will constantly be colliding and multiplying.

The potential of the Detumbler to address this issue will soon be tested. The device was launched on November 11, 2023, in preparation for an in-orbit demonstration scheduled for early 2024 on a mission from Exotrail (SpaceVan), which will include the Exo-0 nanosatellite from EnduroSat.