I saw the Ariane 6 animation, and I noticed, that the upper stage spins before deploying the satellites. Why are they doing this? Is it necessary or is it possible to successfully deploy a satellite to orbit without spinning it? Are the satellites spinning throughout their mission or they will stop spinning after reaching their desired orbit?
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4$\begingroup$ See also How is spin stability used in spacecraft?, Why does NASA intentionally spin space probes?, and a few other questions tagged as attitude. $\endgroup$– TildalWaveApr 25, 2015 at 17:14
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It's a stabilization technique. I'm not sure what you mean by "is it necessary"...they don't do things "just because" in rocketry. It's an alternative to three-axis stabilization.
The satellites are usually despun after the burn(s), often by the amusingly named "yo-yo de-spin". (good animation at link)
answered Apr 25, 2015 at 13:00
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$\begingroup$ By "is it necessary" I mean is it possible to successfully deploy a satellite to orbit without spinning it. $\endgroup$– zbarniApr 25, 2015 at 14:21
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2$\begingroup$ Sure, they could use a three-axis stabilization system. Like all things aerospace, it's a tradeoff between cost, weight, schedule, and performance for the particular application. Back in the days when Shuttle deployed comsats, PAMs were spun, and IUSs used three axis stabilization. $\endgroup$ Apr 25, 2015 at 14:46