Österreichisches Weltraum Forum Austrian Space Forum
After more than a year of collecting data, ADLER-2 burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere in mid August
The Austrian satellite project ADLER-2 is the second mini satellite in the ADLER series, launched into low Earth Orbit in April 2023 to research the size and distribution of smaller space debris particles. After almost 7,100 orbits, ADLER-2 deorbited and burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere mid of August 2024. The analysis of obtained data is currently in full swing.
Austrian co-production as a path to success
ADLER-2 is the successful continuation of the collaboration between the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF), Spire Global, which was co-founded by the Austrian Peter Platzer and other international partners.
The US company GRASP Global also used the satellite to test a technology demonstrator: the first instrument of its kind to measure the composition and concentration of aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere from orbit.
Detecting Space Debris On-Site
On board are a space radar and a fold-out space “microphone” designed to detect and measure space debris particles on-site. The data obtained can then be compared with the models of the European Space Agency (ESA) in order to record the distribution and size of space debris in Earth’s orbit. Tilebox, which was co-founded by the Austrian Stefan Amberger, took over data cleaning and processing of the mission.
Stefan Amberger, co-founder of Tilebox, said, “Collaborating with the Austrian Space Forum was a great opportunity to demonstrate the performance and user-friendliness of Tilebox. Over the past year alone, approximately 11 million raw data records were ingested, processed, cleaned, and made available to the Austrian Space Forum for ADLER-2 in near real-time. The intuitive access to this data has enabled dozens of developers and scientists to explore the data with minimal effort, and the feedback has helped us significantly expand our service in the meantime.”
Peter Platzer, Spire Global CEO said, “ADLER-2 represents a significant leap forward in space sustainability, highlighting the effectiveness of satellite technologies in addressing the growing threat of space debris. We are proud to enable organizations like the Austrian Space Forum to accomplish groundbreaking achievements with our satellite technology. This mission not only advances our understanding of space debris but also exemplifies how our technology and partnerships are contributing to a safer and more sustainable space environment.”
Why the search for space debris is important
Decades of space activities have left Earth’s orbit cluttered with debris. As spacefaring nations continue to increase their activities in space, the likelihood of collisions with still-functional satellites and space stations is also increasing.
Scientific models estimate the total number of space debris objects in Earth’s orbit to be more than 170 million with a size of more than 1 mm. These develop an impact energy comparable to the force of a bullet and endanger not only satellites but also astronautical space travel.
Dr. Gernot Grömer, Director of the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) said, “ADLER-2 was an important mission to analyze the growing challenges posed by space debris. The space industry and space agencies have recognized the urgency of the problem. If we want to maintain access to space for future generations, countermeasures must be taken – this is the Austrian contribution.”
Key data on ADLER-2
Size: 6 Unit Cubesat from Spire Global with 30x20x10 cm (ADLER-1 is a 3 Unit Cubesat)
Instruments: Space microphone APID from the OeWF, specially developed piezoceramic plate, deployable to a span of 2m; measures the impacts of space debris particles Radar device from Spire, detects space debris particles in the vicinity of the satellite GAPMAP sensor from GRASP SAS: a technology demonstrator, the first instrument of its kind to measure the composition and concentration of aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere from orbit.
Mission duration: 1 year
Flight altitude: 500 km
Launch: April 15, 2023, with a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle, launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
De-Orbit: Mid August 2024 (August 15th-16th, 2024)
Participating companies: Spire Global (space-based data, analytics and space services)ÖWF (APID space microphone and scientific management)GRASP SAS (GAPMAP)Tilebox (data management)
About the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF)
The Austrian Space Forum is one of the world’s leading institutions conducting Mars analog missions, thus paving the way for the future human exploration of the Red Planet. Experts from a broad variety of disciplines as well as the spaceflight sector constitute the core of the OeWF’s continued endeavors that on a regular basis include national and international institutions from science and industry to work at the cutting edge of scientific research. On doing so the Austrian Space Forum is using its excellent contacts to opinion leaders, politics and media to further and internationally propagate Austrian top-level research. The Austrian Space Forum also contributes significantly to inspiring and educating young people in the sectors of science, technology and engineering. The OeWF offers internships to students and pupils, its experts supervise scientific papers on a regular basis. www.oewf.org
Media Contact:
Mag. Monika Fischer
OeWF Media Team Lead
Phone: +43 699 1213 4610
Dieser Artikel ist auch verfügbar auf: German