On October 7, 2022, another MMA dragNET De-orbit System launched on a RocketLab Electron as part of its only payload — the General Atomics GAzelle Satellite hosting a Radmon and an Argos-4 payload. Argos-4 will become part of the Argos constellation supported by the NOAA Cooperative Data and Rescue Services Program.
De-orbiting space debris recently became a hot topic of discussion again as the FCC unanimously approved a rule that requires satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) to be disposed of in no more than 5 years post mission, significantly shortening the decades-old 25-year recommendation set forth by NASA in the 90s.
MMA’s dragNET De-orbit System has proven its effectiveness with the Minotaur I ORS Mission in 2013, which successfully de-orbited the upper stage of that launch vehicle within 2 years, besting the new FCC requirements.