Dr Brown also said the satellite’s re-entry was an opportunity to reflect on the issue of space sustainability.
“The space environment continues to become more and more congested, especially in Low Earth Orbit,” he said.
“More satellites are launched into Low Earth Orbit each year and unfortunately it is not always possible to - and some people simply don’t - follow sustainable mission practices like timely disposal and accurate tracking.
“Without careful management we risk over-polluting the area, which would result in Low Earth Orbit being increasingly difficult to use - meaning missions for communications and Earth observation may become impossible.
“Drag-induced re-entry burn-up is a useful disposal strategy for small satellites as it clears up increasingly congested slots in orbit without needing to conduct a controlled manoeuvre at the end of the satellite’s life.
“For CubeSats, like Buccaneer, we can usually assume that the satellite will burn up completely because its small size and mass cannot withstand the extreme heating loads of a re-entry trajectory. But this is not always the case for larger satellites, and UNSW Canberra researchers are currently trying to better understand the complexities of re-entering larger satellites.”
This year marks the 10th anniversary of UNSW Canberra Space and the Buccaneer Risk Mitigation Mission was a significant milestone in establishing the university as a key player in the Australian space sector.
It paved the way for further UNSW-led missions that have resulted in advancements in maritime surveillance and information gathering on how satellite trajectories are affected in orbit.
UNSW Canberra Space will host the Australian Space Domain Awareness and Space Traffic Management Conference in November which will highlight the university’s future priorities in space.
DSTG will launch the Buccaneer Main Mission in early 2025, which would not have been possible without the shoebox-sized satellite that burned up quietly last month, leaving behind a long-lasting legacy.