Removedebris preliminary mission results

Paper number

IAC-18,A6,5,1,x42967

Author

Prof.Dr. Guglielmo Aglietti, United Kingdom, Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey

Coauthor

Mr. Simon Fellowes, United Kingdom, Surrey Space Centre - University of Surrey

Coauthor

Dr. Ben Taylor, United Kingdom, Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey

Coauthor

Mr. Thierry Salmon, France, Airbus Safran Launchers

Coauthor

Mr. Alexander Hall, United Kingdom, Airbus Group

Coauthor

Mr. Thomas Chabot, France, Airbus Defence and Space (DS)

Coauthor

Mr. Aurelien Pisseloup, France, Airbus Group

Coauthor

Dr. Ingo Retat, Germany, EADS Astrium Space Transportation GmbH

Coauthor

Mr. Sean Ainley, United Kingdom, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL)

Coauthor

Mr. Daniel Tye, United Kingdom, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL)

Coauthor

Mr. Cesar Bernal, The Netherlands, ISIS Bv.

Coauthor

Mr. Francois Chaumette, France, INRIA

Coauthor

Mr. Alexandre Pollini, Switzerland, Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique SA (CSEM)

Coauthor

Prof. Willem Steyn, South Africa, Stellenbosch University

Year

2018

Abstract

The RemoveDebris spacecraft has been shipped to the Kennedy Space Center in December 2017 and it is currently scheduled for launch to the ISS on the 2nd of April 2018, on board a Dragon capsule (SpaceX CRS-14 ISS re-supply mission). A few weeks later, depending on the ISS internal operation schedule, the satellite is going to be deployed in orbit via the NanoRacks Kaber. The satellite will perform demonstrations of four key technologies, to be used at different stages of a typical ADR: Vision Based Navigation (VBN) as a tool to observe and quantify the relative dynamics between an uncooperative debris and the platform preparing for its retrieval; two technologies for debris capture, namely a net and a harpoon, and finally a de-orbit sail will be deployed, to increase the platform drag, thus reducing its speed; and orbit altitude until it burns into the Earths atmosphere. 

The mission is due to terminate by Q4 2018, and therefore in this article, besides giving a brief overview of the craft development, we expect to be able to report on the LEOP and some of the in-orbit demonstration activities.

The mission consists of a main mini satellite platform of approximately 100kg mass that once in orbit will release two 2U cubesats which will act as space debris. One of the cubesats, will be observed using the VBN to prove its hardware and algorithm.  The second cubesat, after ejection, will become a representative target for the net capture experiment i.e. a net will be launched by the platform to envelope and capture the cubesat. A small panel of HB material, analogous to that used in standard satellites construction, will then be deployed (using a deployable boom) and it will be the target for the harpoon experiment (i.e. a tethered harpoon is going to be fired by the satellite platform to hit this panel). The last experiment to be performed will be the drag sail. During a real mission this would be the last phase, when the platform and the debris that it has captured are deorbited together, destroying them burning into the atmosphere. 

This project is supported by the European Commission FP7-SPACE-2013-1 (project 607099) ‘RemoveDebris – A Low Cost Active Debris Removal Demonstration Mission’.

Abstract document

IAC-18,A6,5,1,x42967.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-18,A6,5,1,x42967.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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