HUNTSVILLE, AL – NeXolve has invested in the future of space exploration by donating deployable booms to the University of Alabama on Wednesday.
The unique, light weight material will be used for the CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSL), a NASA-partnered student designed satellite experiment.
The UA Student Team reached out to NeXolve in October 2022 asking for a quote to supply booms for the project. However, NeXolve chose to donate their innovative materials to support the students’ goals.
“NeXolve recognizes the value of students participating in programs which expose them to real world design challenges for space,” said Jim Moore, NeXolve President.
The students’ attempt to deliver BAMA-1 to its orbit failed; however, the team was approved for a second attempt. NeXolve’s material will be used to launch BAMA-2, a 1-square-meter drag sail, from the International Space Station. The goal is to deliver hardware to space and demonstrate the sail’s deorbit capabilities.
The drag sail will be supported by the four donated flight booms, each approximately 0.75-meters long. The booms will deploy the drag sail on the small satellite, producing a drag force to deorbit the satellite.
NeXolve is also supplying a duplicate ground-test set of booms for testing prior to launch. For more information, please visit here.