Making space travel more sustainable is one of the major challenges facing modern space travel. In particular, space debris - small parts of former space objects that are still floating around in space and can cause great damage - is a serious challenge.

With our AQUIS picosatellite, we want to drive forward the development of a simple and cost-effective solution to prevent the creation of further space debris. At the end of our 6-month stay in space, we intend to perform an active deorbiting maneuver using the ARI propulsion system we have developed ourselves, which will allow us to burn up in the atmosphere.

In addition, a camera and a 3-axis ADCS system will be used to send a photo of the Earth. Not only is the ADCS system a rarity for satellites of this size, the challenges it poses offer us a unique opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge we have learnt in practice.

AQUIS is planned as the first satellite in a whole series of satellites being developed by Space Team Aachen. The aim is to build up experience within the team in order to develop more complex scientific instruments and propulsion systems for subsequent missions. Further plans include the satellite system’s use for scientific research in space, as a communication point in the future and to evolve our propulsion system for collision avoidance maneuvers, extending of mission duration through re-raise of the orbit, etc.