Orbital debris minimization and mitigation techniques

Details Orbital debris minimization and mitigation techniques Orbital debris minimization and mitigation techniques

Aug 1993

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993adspr..13..263l&link_type=abstract

Advances in Space Research, Volume 13, Issue 8, p. 263-282.

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Scientific paper

Man's activity in space has generated significant amounts of debris that remain in orbit long enough to become a hazard to future space activities. Upper stages and spacecraft that have ended their functional life are the largest objects. In the past, additional debris has been generated by inadvertent explosions of upper stages and spacecraft, by intentional explosions for military reasons, and possibly by a few breakups resulting from collisions. In the future, debris can be generated by collisions among spacecraft as the number of orbital objects continues to grow at a rate greater than the rate at which natural forces remove them from orbit.
Some design and operations practices can minimize the inadvertent generation of debris, and others can remove objects from space at the end of their useful service so they are not a source for the generation of future debris. Those studies are the primary concern of this paper.
The issues are different in the low Earth orbits and in the geosynchronous orbits. In low Earth orbit, the hazards generated by potential collisions among spacecraft are severe because the events take place at such high velocities. In geosynchronous orbit, the collision consequence is not so severe because the relative velocities are low-less than 1 km/s. But because of the value of the limited arc and the extremely long lifetime of the satellites, debris generated in the orbit must be removed to a different orbit at the end of life if it is not to be a hazard to future operational spacecraft. The issue at present seems to be how high the reboost maneuver must be and what the system design and maneuver strategy should be to ensure effectiveness.
The most economic removal of objects is achieved when those objects have the capability to execute the necessary maneuvers with their own systems and resources. The most costly option is to have some other system remove the object after it has become a derelict. Numerous options are being studied to develop systems and techniques that can remove objects from useful orbits at the end of their useful life and do so for the least mass penalty and economic cost.

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