Rolatube Deployable Composite Booms were used for the InflateSail mission in 2017. This was the first European spacecraft to successfully demonstrate de-orbiting – deliberately causing a satellite to re-enter and burn up – in a drive to reduce the amount of hazardous “Space Junk” currently causing problems by taking up orbits that are needed for new spacecraft.
In recent years, NASA and other organizations have begun to use small satellites more and more as technologists have miniaturised spacecraft avionics. In order to have an equivalent functionality to larger satellites, small satellites still need to carry deployable antennas, radiators, solar panels and other instruments. Rolatube's bistable rollable composite material is a proven material and technology enabler for these smaller satellites.