Can someone explain how Starlink satellites are released?
Satellites are stacked on each other where the gold ring are and they are held together using some sort of hold down mechanism that looks like essentially a long rod. On the very top of these rods, there is an explosive mechanism that are typically used in many of deployment mechanisms as solar array or fairing deployment mechanisms.
I could be totally wrong and it would be grealty appriciated if someone can verify what I think it is. Drawings would help too!
Thank you so much!!!
No explosives, just a nut and a stack of belleville washers. When the tension rods are unclamped at the payload adapter (bottom) end, the belleville washers provide the spring force to fire the tension rods away from the stack, without imparting any force to the Starlinks. The unclamping of the rods at the base are either electric or pneumatic, most likely electric.