Small Plasma Brake (APB-S)
Aurora Propulsion Technologies
Propellant-free deorbiting tether for CubeSats — fits TunaCan extra volume allocation, up to 400m tether, effective for satellites up to ~100kg on orbits up to 1000km.
Typed specifications12 values
Discloses 4 of 10 fields engineers filter by in this category (category median 3).
- Propulsion family
- other propellantless plasma brake using Coulomb drag on a charged m… · datasheet p.1
- Mass
- 450 g max · datasheet p.2
- Envelope (L×W×H)
- 80 mm diameter, 75 mm depth (+ customizable bottom plate) datasheet p.2 80 mm diameter, 75 mm depth + customizable bottom plate
- Power consumption
- 18 W peak · datasheet p.2 1 W max · during deorbiting
- Data interface
- RS-422 RS422 · datasheet p.2
- Design lifetime
- 5 years max · for deorbiting · datasheet p.2
- Lead time
- 6–9 months datasheet p.2
- Thruster technology
- other Aurora Plasma Brake - Small - TunaCan form factor (Coulomb dr… · datasheet p.1
- Satellite class
- CubeSat propellantless deorbiting system for LEO CubeSats · datasheet p.1 CubeSat TunaCan volume
Each value is typed with its unit and measurement condition and cites the datasheet page it was taken from. Nothing is guessed: a field that is absent here has not been published by the manufacturer. machine-extracted ✓ checked by NewSpace Market ✓ manufacturer confirmed by the manufacturer.
As published by the supplier9 lines, in the manufacturer's own wording
- Deorbit mechanism
- Propellant-free Coulomb drag microtether
- Tether length
- Up to 400 m
- Max serviceable satellite mass
- ~100 kg
- Effective orbit altitude
- Up to 1000 km
- Form factor
- TunaCan extra volume allocation
- Iod status
- Planned 2025
- Power
- < 1 W during deorbiting, 18 W peak
- Data interface
- RS422
- Mass
- < 450 g
About
The Small Plasma Brake (APB-S) is a propellant-free deorbiting solution designed for CubeSats, sized to fit within the ‘TunaCan’ extra volume allocation standard. It deploys up to 400 meters of an electrically charged microtether — thinner than a human hair — which interacts with the ionospheric environmental plasma to generate a Coulomb drag force that deorbits the satellite without consuming any propellant.
APB-S is effective for satellites up to approximately 100 kg across most LEO altitudes and remains effective for CubeSats on orbits up to 1000 km. It is planned for an in-orbit demonstration in 2025. A fully independent version is under development to allow compliance with 95% deorbiting requirements without requiring a full platform reliability analysis.
Documentation
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.