A satellite operator in San Francisco now flies 120 Earth-imaging satellites which manoeuvre solely using air molecules
in orbit usually requires thrusters. Sometimes the thrust is provided by a fuel-burning rocket motor. Sometimes it comes from electrically heated gas. Both methods, though, add weight in the form of propellant, thus reducing launch payload. They also involve parts that may fail. And eventually they run out of juice. Moreover, satellites carrying an energetic fuel like hydrazine must undergo special tests to be certified as safe for inclusion in a launch.
The reason firms like Planet need to manoeuvre satellites in the first place is that the cheapest way to launch them is in groups taken up by a single rocket. This means they enter orbit as a cluster. But jobs like Earth-watching and relaying telecommunications require such groups of satellites to be spread out, for maximum coverage.
In addition, changing the level of drag adjusts only the rate of deceleration, and therefore of descent. The technique cannot be used to lift a spacecraft into a higher orbit. But a second thrusterless technique can manage this trick, too. It involves using the solar panels as light sails.
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