Testing tether dynamics in space - the STRING mission

Abstract

Spacecraft are becoming smaller relative to the amount of scientific information we are acquiring with them. This miniaturization, however, presents even bigger challenges to the spacecraft developers. First, none of these programs have the resources to reinvent the wheel again for their projects. Second, the requirements in communication, operations and software development are not only contained in the transition from bigger satellites to smaller, but sometimes even complicated by this miniaturization.