Debris Recovery Using Trawl-net-like Small-satellite Constellation
- Paper number
IAC-07-D1.1.05
- Author
Dr. Toshiaki Iwata, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan
- Year
2007
- Abstract
The increase of space debris is becoming an increasingly serious problem day by day. In particular, the low earth orbit (LEO) of an altitude of less than 1,000 km and the geostationary orbit (GEO) are very crowded with debris, which affects space mission performance. The most awkward problem of space debris is that even a small particle less than 0.1 mm in diameter can damage shuttle windows, and particles less than 0.2 mm in diameter can pierce a spacesuit, which would be fatal during extravehicular activity (EVA). It is also difficult to estimate the motion of debris less than 10 cm in diameter before the mission because they are difficult to identify from the ground. Larger debris such as obsolete satellites or the upper stages of rockets can be identified and recovered by space robots; however, smaller debris less than 10 cm in diameter is difficult to recover. To collect such debris, debris recovery by a trawl-net-like small-satellite constellation mission is proposed. This mission is performed using a constellation of at least four small satellites that act as trawl boats. Each satellite has the same but small eccentricity, and slightly different inclinations and right ascensions of the ascending node, and they rotate around their common central orbit. A simple simulation was conducted and the constellation was confirmed to be feasible. The merit of this method is that maintenance is not necessary. If this mission is carried out at an altitude of about 700 km in a polar orbit for one week at an orbit rotation radius of 0.7 km, about 1.5 million items of debris larger than 0.1 mm in diameter can be recovered if the mission is conducted in 2010, and about 6 million items of debris in 2030. The debris density was estimated on the basis of NASA’s ORDEM 2000. As the “trawl net” material, aerogel is one of the candidates. Aerogel is a fragile but light material and has been previously used for capturing debris.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-D1.1.05.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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