The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has launched a satellite designed to reach ‘super low orbit’, using a radical ion engine said to be 10 times more efficient than gas jets.

The satellite, dubbed Tsubame, will drop down below an altitude of 300 kilometers (186 miles) in the next two years, after starting out at around 480km (298 miles).

This will make it the first Earth observation satellite to orbit so low.

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has launched a satellite designed to reach ‘super low orbit’. It successfully blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on December 23

TSUBAME SATELLITE The 400kg Tsubame satellite – the Super Low Altitude Test Satellite (SLATS) – is the first Earth observation satellite to use 'super low orbit', according to JAXA, or below 300km. It will eventually drop down to 268 km to 180 km. The SLATS ion engine uses xenon gas as propellant, requiring thrust that’s just about the equivalent of the weight of a dime. The satellite is equipped with an atomic oxygen monitoring system, to measure the concentration of the molecule and its interaction with other materials. Advertisement

According to JAXA, it successfully blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture on December 23, and has since sent back the first data to confirm it is stable.

The 400kg Tsubame satellite – the Super Low Altitude Test Satellite (SLATS) – will be used to capture high-resolution images of Earth, and measure oxygen levels, according to New Scientist.

Super low orbit will allow for more detailed observations, and eventually, it could slash the cost of manufacturing and launching satellites due to the proximity to Earth, JAXA explains.

With an ion engine, the system is far more efficient than those that rely on gas jets.

‘A satellite in a super low orbit like SLATS will be exposed to air resistance, which is approximately 1,000 times greater than that of most Earth observation satellites at an altitude of 600 to 800km,’ JAXA explains.

‘Consequently, this type of satellite will require a greater amount of fuel than conventional satellites.

'In order to solve the atmospheric drag issue, JAXA has adopted an ion engine.’

Super low orbit will allow for more detailed observations, and eventually, it could slash the cost of manufacturing and launching satellites due to the proximity to Earth, JAXA explains. With an ion engine, the system is far more efficient than those that rely on gas jets

The SLATS ion engine uses xenon gas as propellant, requiring thrust that’s just about the equivalent of the weight of a dime.

The satellite is equipped with an atomic oxygen monitoring system, to measure the concentration of the molecule and its interaction with other materials.

Atomic oxygen increases at super low altitudes as the atmosphere becomes denser, according to JAXA.

And, it’s known to damage satellites’ insulation.

JAXA launched Tsubame alongside another satellite, Shikisai, which will orbit at a much higher altitude. Both have been confirmed to be stable

‘Normally, oxygen gas consists of two atoms which enter a covalent bond and form a molecule,’ JAXA explains.

‘Atomic oxygen refers to a state in which oxygen gas separates due to space radiation and ultraviolet rays, existing as a single atom.

‘This makes atomic oxygen highly reactive and causes it to damage material used on the surface of satellites.’

SLATS is coated with materials that are highly resistant to atomic oxygen, and will gather data that can be used to design future satellites that will orbit in this ‘undeveloped’ region.