Space Debris Peril

Pathways to Opportunities

Matteo Madi, Olga Sokolova, Matteo Madi, Olga Sokolova

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000245172
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Naturwissenschaften
• Subtopic: Astronomie & Astrophysik

"This book provides up-to-date knowledge of space debris and valuable insights on how to grapple with this issue from legal, technical, economical and societal aspects. I would strongly recommend that everyone who is working on space development and utilizations and even non-specialists once read this book and think over how human being should be faced with this issue."
– Prof. Shinichi Nakasuka, University of Tokyo, Japan

Space Debris Peril: Pathways to Opportunities takes readers through the wide spectrum of problems created by space debris – including technical, political, legal and socio-economical aspects – and suggests ways to mitigate its negative consequences and create new opportunities. With chapter contributions from authors at world-renowned universities, private or public entities, and research institutes active in the field of space debris mitigation, space policy and law, risk and resilience, liability and insurance, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to the subject helping the reader to grasp the whole picture of the current space debris remediation challenges.

This book will be of interest to the scientific communities, policy makers, business developers, (re)insurers and international standards developers for space operations and orbital debris mitigation. Also, it should appeal to a broader audience among non-specialists in various sectors and the general public.

Key features:

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• Brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on the topic in one, cohesive book

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• Chapter contributions from specialists in this interdisciplinary field from around the globe

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• Up-to-date information with the latest developments

IV

Technological Challenges & Current Developments

CHAPTER 4

Overview of the Proposals for Space Debris De/Re-Orbiting from the Most Populated Orbits

Andrey A. Baranov

Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of RAS, Moscow, Russia Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, Moscow, Russia

Dmitriy A. Grishko

Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow, Russia

CONTENTS

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Engineering Solutions for Space Debris De/Re-Orbiting Missions

4.2.1 Tether systems

4.2.2 Electrodynamic tether

4.2.3 Manipulators

4.2.4 Contactless laser systems

4.2.5 Contactless ion-beam systems

4.2.6 Solar sails and deployable additional aerodynamic surfaces

4.3 Space Debris Objects (SDO) Group Flyby Optimization

4.3.1 Variants of large SDO removing to disposal orbits and transfer schemes between objects

4.3.2 Proposals of transfer schemes for the first variant of de-orbiting to disposal orbits in LEO

4.3.3 Proposals of transfer schemes for the second variant of de-orbiting to disposal orbits in LEO

4.3.4 Complex solution for determination of SDO transfer sequence in LEO

4.3.5 Proposals of transfer schemes for SDO re-orbiting to disposal orbits in GEO

4.4 Survey of Projects by Space Companies and Agencies

4.4.1 Orbital service problem: a key vector for ADR technology development

4.4.2 European service mission projects

4.4.3 USA service mission projects

4.4.4 Japan service mission projects

4.4.5 Solar sail missions

4.5 Conclusion

Bibliography

THIS chapter surveys the available approaches to the problem of large space debris mitigation. The first part contains a brief description of the main engineering solutions that can be applied for capturing and removing large space debris objects. We consider tether systems, electrodynamic tethers, manipulators, contactless ion-beam systems, laser systems and solar sails. The second part outlines the basic approaches to finding flyby sequences for removing large objects of space debris from a group to disposal orbits. We consider both low Earth orbit and the vicinity of the geostationary orbit. De/re-orbiting can be effected in two ways which differ in the role of an active spacecraft: it either transfers between objects (which are pushed to disposal orbits by special modules that are accommodated on their surfaces) or delivers independently an object to a disposal orbit and then returns back to deal with the next object. The third part provides a survey of both planned and implemented projects aimed at demonstrating the possibility of objects removing to disposal orbits or spacecraft repairing. Such an involved task should be implemented by using a collector which will perform fundamentally new functions: capturing and de/re-orbiting objects from orbits or carrying out various service operations.

4.1 INTRODUCTION

Man-made contamination of near-Earth space is currently an urgent problem of astronautics. A collision of a spacecraft (SC) with even a small piece of space debris can damage vital on-board systems and make the SC inoperable. The greatest danger is posed by large space debris objects (SDO), as their collision at high relative velocities with each other or with a healthy SC can lead to the appearance of a huge number of small fragments, which can eventually provoke the Kessler collisional cascading effect [1, 2].

In spite of SDO mitigation measures taken on a state-by-state basis (for example, ESA’s “Clean space” program [3] or Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) recommendations [4, 5]), it is also necessary to develop systems for de/re-orbiting spent SC, launch vehicle stages and upper stages. According to the simulation results of [6,7,8 and 9], annual removing of ∼5 large SDOs is required to prevent a cascade increase in the number of hazardous objects in low-Earth orbits.

As of today, several methods of space debris mitigation have been proposed. Active methods call for a direct transfer of space debris objects into dense atmosphere (mainly for low orbits) or their transfers to disposal orbits (DO) with the help of active SC. Passive methods involve no direct contact with space debris.

De/re-orbiting of large SDOs to DOs is a difficult engineering problem with several available approaches, which differ from each other in methods of dealing with objects (nets, harpoons, robotic arms, contactless methods) and in methods of how objects are towed to DOs (liquid propellant engines, electric propulsion engines, solar sails, unfurlable aerodynamic surfaces).

Large SDOs are mainly distributed in the following three altitude ranges: 600-1,500 km (LEO, operational range of long-term low-orbital SC), 18,000-24,000 km (MEO, operational range of global positioning systems), and the region near the geostationary orbit (GEO, 34,000-37,000 km). For each of these types of orbits, conceptual design proposals (of different developmental maturity) for SDO de/re-orbiting space missions are already available. As a rule, such approaches involve only one method of controlling an object and only one method for its removing to a DO, because an attempt to apply several concepts at the same time substantially complicates the design and control systems of the SC-collector.

4.2 ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS FOR SPACE DEBRIS OBJECTS DE/RE-ORBITING MISSIONS

A survey of possible means of large SDO capturing is given in [10]. For a contact-free object capturing, an SC is located at some distance from the object, mechanical linking is effected by special means, for example, by using harpoons or nets. For a contact capture, an SC should approach an SDO, and mechanical linking is effected between a docking unit of an active SC and some structural element of the SDO. For example, for a spent launch vehicle stage, this can be either the equipment bay structure on which the payload is accommodated or the main launch vehicle engine chamber.

4.2.1 Tether systems

One of the most promising methods of SDO removing to DO is to attach a tether to an SDO object and then tow it. Tether systems are almost independent of the shape of an SDO and the rate of its own rotation, but the tether dynamics substantially complicates the controllability of an “active SC–SDO” system. Thus, the beginning of the towing stage is associated with the process of repeated stretching and weakening of the elastic tether. As a result, the tether can transmit the towing thrust irregularly, which can lead to “swinging” of the towed object up to large amplitudes and even to a tumbling process.

Motion simulation of an “active SC-SDO” system was performed at Samara University [11]. A system consisting of a low-thrust tug, a passive object (simulated by a long solid body heavier than the tug vehicle) and an elastic tether was considered. In the model, possible rotations of the towed object and tether sagging were taken into account. By numerical experiments, the towing parameters ranges were identified for safe capturing and subsequent removing of a possible object.

Extended full-scale experiments conducted by ESA and computer simulations justified the feasibility of tether systems that involve harpoons or nets [3].

The use of harpoons allows one to capture a target at non-zero relative velocity and does not require the presence of a docking module on a de/re-orbited object. The harpoon is fired from the SC and pierces the SDO, thereby providing a mechanical link with the object. The disadvantage of this method is that at the moment of piercing the body receives a shock pulse relative to its center of mass, which can result in an additional angular velocity of the object. The harpoon approach has another disadvantage: harpoon penetration into the fuel tank of a liquid propelled stage can result in an explosion of fuel residues in the tank or the appearance of additional rotation caused by the discharge of gasified fuel residues through the hole in the stage body.

Studies on harpoon capturing of space debris objects, as conducted by EADS Astrium on bench models, show that an Astrium-designed harpoon [12] is capable of capturing targets with angular speed up to 6 degrees per second. The hitting accuracy is 8 cm at 10 m firing distance. According to experimental estimates, the harpoon system is capable of transporting SDOs of mass up to 9,000 kg, se...