MOVE-III Spacecraft

Conduct in-situ measurements of submillimeter space debris and micro-meteoroid particles.

The task of this mission is to test the MOVE-BEYOND all-purpose bus system. This bus system is based on a new scalable and flexible approach to accommodate payloads of different types.

It shall conduct in-situ measurements of submillimeter space debris and micro-meteoroid particles, making use of the Debris Density Retrieval and Analysis (DEDRA) sensor. The mission shall help to validate and improve the space debris models and contribute to the characterization of the space environment in low earth orbit.

Design, testing and operations shall be carried out as hands-on education for students of the Technical University of Munich under guidance and supervision from the Chair of Astronautics and the Institute for Astronomical and Physical Geodesy. MOVE-III is the first cross-institutional project of the new Faculty of Aerospace and Geodesy at the Technical University of Munich.

MOVE-III is a third generation 6U CubeSat - the two previous models First-MOVE and MOVE-II/MOVE-IIb have already been launched into space. MOVE-III brings a sensor (DEDRA) developed by the MOVE team together with the Institute for Astronomical and Physical Geodesy (IAPG) of the TU Munich to detect and identify millimeter-sized space debris and micrometeorites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). There he will verify theoretical space debris models, eg ESA's MASTER and DRAMA or NASA's ORDEM .

The MOVE-III project also aims to use the experience gained from MOVE-II/MOVE-IIb to develop a satellite bus that is adaptable to future missions and can carry various CubeSat-sized experiments with minimal modification. This bus should form the basis for the future of the MOVE team. In spring 2022, the MOVE team completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the mission and the bus, and is currently working on the first prototype.

With the help of stratospheric balloons, the team tests its technology, such as the radio system, for functionality in cold and mechanically challenging situations at an altitude of over 30km. The team has already successfully completed three balloon missions.