Space tether

Space tethers are long cables which can be used for propulsion, momentum exchange, stabilization and altitude control, or maintaining the relative positions of the components of a large dispersed satellite/spacecraft sensor system. Depending on the mission objectives and altitude, spaceflight using this form of spacecraft propulsion may be significantly less expensive than spaceflight using rocket engines.

Main techniques

Four main techniques for employing space tethers are in development:

Electrodynamic tethers

Momentum exchange tethers

Tethered formation flying

Electric sail

Many uses for space tethers have been proposed, including deployment as space elevators, as skyhooks, and for doing propellant-free orbital transfers.

History

Tsiolkovsky once proposed a tower so tall that it reached into space, so that it would be held there by the rotation of the Earth. However, at the time, there was no realistic way to build it.

To try to solve the problems in Komsomolskaya Pravda (July 31, 1960), another Russian, Yuri Artsutanov, wrote in greater detail about the idea of a tensile cable to be deployed from a geosynchronous satellite, downwards towards the ground, and upwards away, keeping the cable balanced. This is the space elevator idea, a type of synchronous tether that would rotate with the earth. However, given the materials technology of the time, this too was impractical on Earth.

Podcasts:

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Latest News for: tether satellite

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How semiconductor industry helps Arizona's space industry take flight

Azcentral 21 Mar 2025
Can the state leverage this momentum to extend a tether to the space industry?. No sophisticated electronic devices, including those found on satellites, rockets, capsules, and other space equipment, ...
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Chinese research institute unveils aerial balloon platform to bolster energy development

ECNS 20 Mar 2025
The KX15 tethered balloon at a UHV converter station for a 500-kilovolt transmission line project in Tai'an, East China's Shandong Province, on March 19, 2025 ... tethered balloons, high-altitude balloons, and airships, the report explained.
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