Cubesats Should Also Be Subject to Deorbiting Rules, NASA Says

Cubesats should be subject to the same 25-year deorbiting rule as other payloads when it comes to post-mission disposal (PMD), the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office said in its February Orbital Debris newsletter. It said the findings are the results of computer modeling to look at the effects to the geosynchronous orbit environment over the next 200 years of the introduction of cubesat mega constellations on the low earth orbit. Modeling of mega constellations without PMD shows significant increase in catastrophic collisions at 600-1000 kilometers, it said.