Electrodynamic tether

An electrodynamic tether is a slender, strong line deployed in low orbit around Arbre to generate continuous low thrust without rocket plumes. By driving electrical current in one direction along the tether and using the ionosphere as the return path, the line interacts with Arbre’s magnetic field to create a steady but subtle force sufficient to alter an orbit over days.

Deployment and Configuration

• Length and counterweight: The line is roughly five miles long. To keep it taut, a mass of spent monyafeeks is lashed together as a counterweight and concealed beneath a smaller version of the Cold Black Mirror.
• Spin‑out: The team throws itself into a controlled spin to pay out the line, then settles into a slow rotation synchronized with each orbit so the counterweight remains “below” and the reflective screen “above.” The rotation yields faint pseudogravity (about a hundredth of surface gravity), which presses equipment gently against the mirror’s frame.

Operation in Orbit

• Circuit and thrust: Current flows one way along the tether; the ionosphere closes the circuit. Under power, the tether bows slightly, the thrust vector yaws the mirror by a small angle, and the assembly begins a gradual spiral toward a higher target orbit. The thrust is modest but can be maintained continuously for days.
• Stealth considerations: While thrusting, the large reflective screen is kept between the team and the distant Daban Urnud to bounce sensors away and minimize heat signature, aiding concealment from the Geometers.

Purpose and Context

This approach is used to climb quietly from a low, ninety‑minute orbit toward the altitude of the Daban Urnud without bright engine burns. It is part of a wider, coordinated effort organized through the Convox and executed after a decoy maneuver that drew attention elsewhere.

Current Status

The tether has been deployed and powered on. It is providing continuous low thrust as the group follows a days‑long, silent spiral toward the desired orbit.