Sphinx (Frazier)

Sphinx (Frazier) [Astro Digital]

Sphinx or Frazier is a technology demonstration of the Vestigo Aerospace Spinnaker 3 (S3) dragsailto test and validate space deorbiting technology for Vestigo Aerospace which utilizes an Astro Digital Corvus Micro bus.

The primary objective of the Sphinx mission is to demonstrate the flight capabilities of the Spinnaker 3 (S3) dragsail developed by Vestigo Aerospace. The mission aims to validate the deployment, functionality, and effectiveness of the dragsail in accelerating orbital decay for spacecraft up to 400 kg. During the mission, onboard systems will capture visual documentation and engineering telemetry of the S3 sail deployment, as well as monitor system performance throughout the deorbiting process.

The 32 kg microsatellite was built by Astro Digital using its Corvus-Micro bus. Vestigo Aerospace provided the Spinnaker 3 dragsail payload, which is designed for passive deorbiting.

Spinnaker 3 is a deployable dragsail system housed in a 20 cm cube. Upon deployment, the sail expands to an area of 18.8 square meters. The system is designed to increase atmospheric drag, reducing the orbital lifetime of the host spacecraft. The total spacecraft mass is 32 kg, and the system is capable of demonstrating deorbit capability for spacecraft up to 400 kg.

Sphinx was launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter-13 rideshare flight to sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).