Assessment of the close approach frequency and collision probability for satellites in different configurations of large constellations

The Earth orbital environment is drastically changing due to an intensification of the space activities. In particular, several projects of large constellations, proposed for the next years for communications purpose like global internet access, Internet of Things, or for Earth observations, will lead to the deployment of several thousands of new satellites at an unprecedented rate. It is a crucial challenge for space traffic management, which will deal with a great number of satellite conjunctions, potentially causing a collision with damaging consequences for the constellation itself and the space environment sustainability.In this paper, we investigate the close approach frequency and the cumulative collision probability for each referenced constellation. For this purpose, we compute the orbital evolution of satellites in different constellations during the lifecycle, from the deployment to the decommissioning, and we apply the CUBE algorithm and the Foster method to assess the collision probability with the background space debris population assuming a constant uncertainty in position. We show the variation of risk defined by the close approach frequency and the cumulative collision probability as a function of the proposed configuration. In particular, satellites of the Iridium and Kuiper constellation, but also satellite of the Telesat constellation on polar orbits are the most exposed at a collision. Moreover, the decommissioning phase contribute for a major part to the final cumulative collision probability.     

Deorbiter CubeSat mission design

This paper presents the mission design for a CubeSat-based active debris removal approach intended for transferring sizable debris objects from low-Earth orbit to a deorbit altitude of 100 km. The mission consists of a mothership spacecraft that carries and deploys several debris-removing nanosatellites, called Deorbiter CubeSats. Each Deorbiter is designed based on the utilization of an eight-unit CubeSat form factor and commercially-available components with significant flight heritage. The mothership spacecraft delivers Deorbiter CubeSats to the vicinity of a predetermined target debris, through performing a long-range rendezvous maneuver. Through a formation flying maneuver, the mothership then performs in-situ measurements of debris shape and orbital state. Upon release from the mothership, each Deorbiter CubeSat proceeds to performing a rendezvous and attachment maneuver with a debris object. Once attached to the debris, the CubeSat performs a detumbling maneuver, by which the residual angular momentum of the CubeSat-debris system is dumped using Deorbiter’s onboard reaction wheels. After stabilizing the attitude motion of the combined Deorbiter-debris system, the CubeSat proceeds to performing a deorbiting maneuver, i.e., reducing system’s altitude so much so that the bodies disintegrate and burn up due to atmospheric drag, typically at around 100 km above the Earth surface. The attitude and orbital maneuvers that are planned for the mission are described, both for the mothership and Deorbiter CubeSat. The performance of each spacecraft during their operations is investigated, using the actual performance specifications of the onboard components. The viability of the proposed debris removal approach is discussed in light of the results.     

部署retro-GEO巡视器的月球借力飞行轨道分析

retro-GEO是指逆行（retrograde）地球静止轨道（geostationary Earth orbit, GEO），该轨道与GEO轨道高度相同或相近，但倾角为180°，安装在retro-GEO卫星上的巡视器可每12h对GEO带空间资产附近碎片环境安全预警。直接西向发射retro-GEO卫星存在地面测控和发射能耗较大的困难。基于平面四体模型，为降低设计变量敏感性，以近月点参数为设计变量，建立了部署retro-GEO巡视器的月球借力飞行轨道设计模型，利用轨道动力学模型延拓策略，得到该类轨道绕月后返回地球飞行时长只能约为114.79h，该结论可用于求解该类轨道高精度轨道动力学模型解。     

拦截高速目标的比例与反比例导引捕获区分析

针对拦截高速目标的作战特点，分析了比例导引(PN)与反比例导引(RPN)的捕获区。首先，通过分析拦截弹与目标的相对运动关系，推导得到了顺轨和逆轨的零控拦截条件，此条件由目标和拦截弹的速度前置角以及二者速度比确定；其次，以拦截弹和目标速度前置角为坐标系，推导得到了PN以及RPN捕获区以及各自导航比设置范围。PN的捕获区由逆轨零控拦截条件以及与其相切且斜率为1/(N-1)的两条直线构成，RPN的捕获区由顺轨零控拦截条件以及与其相切且斜率为1/(-N-1)的两条直线构成；然后，利用函数对称性将PN与RPN捕获区转换到同一坐标区间，得到了相同条件下RPN捕获区要大于PN捕获区的结论；最后，开展了四种情形下的仿真，验证了本文捕获区分析的合理性及有效性。     

NiCrAl/Diatomite可磨耗封严涂层制备及性能

分别利用大气等离子喷涂技术制备了Ni/Al粘结底层、火焰喷涂技术制备了NiCrAl/Diatomite可磨耗封严涂层，研究了喷涂距离、送粉速率、火焰气体总流量、喷涂角度和氧燃比等喷涂参数对生长速率和涂层硬度的影响。结果表明，在较低的氧燃比条件下（O₂∶C₂H₂<1.6），随着喷涂距离的增大，涂层生长速率逐渐下降，硬度先保持不变后逐渐上升；当O₂∶C₂H₂>1.6时，涂层的生长速率会随着喷涂距离的增大先增大后减小，硬度随之逐渐下降。随着喷枪对基体相对移动速度的增大，涂层生长速率略微下降，硬度略有上升。气体总流量的增大使得涂层的生长速率明显上升，硬度明显下降。随着送粉量的增大，涂层生长速率明显提高，硬度随之先上升后下降。     

Effect of moderate geomagnetic storms on equatorial plasma bubbles over eastern Africa in the year 2012: Evolution and electrodynamics

Equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) are common features of the equatorial and low-latitude ionosphere and are known to cause radio wave scintillation which leads to the degradation of communication and navigation systems. Although these structures have been studied for decades, a full understanding of their evolution and dynamics remains important for space weather mitigation purposes. In this study, we present cases of EPBs occurrences around April and July 2012 geomagnetic storm periods over the African equatorial sector. The EPBs were observed from the Communications/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) and generally correlated well to the ionospheric irregularities observed from the Global Positioning System total electron content (GPS-TEC) measurements (rate of TEC change, ROT). This study revealed that the evolution of the EPBs during moderate storms is controlled by the strength of the daytime equatorial electrojet (EEJ) currents regardless of the strength of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA), the latter is observed during the July storm case in particular. These effects were more evident during the main and part of the early recovery phases of the geomagnetic storm days considered. However, the evening hours TEC gradients between regions of the magnetic equator and ionization crests also played roles in the existence of ionospheric irregularities.     

天基轻气炮发射清除低轨碎片方案及关键技术分析

文章分析了现有的空间碎片清除方式,并以800~1200 km低地球轨道高度上1~10 cm量级的空间碎片为清除目标,提出了天基轻气炮清除碎片的新方法。首先分析了轻气炮有效载荷在典型参数下的弹丸加速能力;之后根据将碎片降轨使其坠入大气层烧毁的设想,提出天基轻气炮共面清除碎片的方式,并选择轨道高度800 km的圆轨道作为碎片运行轨道进行可行性分析。计算表明,对半径10 cm、厚度1 cm的铝合金圆板碎片(质量211.95 g),使用初速1 km/s、重10 g的黏性弹丸可按任务方案达到清除效果。此外,计算出该参数弹丸对轨道高度800~1200 km的圆轨道上可清除的最大碎片质量为500~825 g,证明轻气炮弹丸对1~10 cm的碎片具有较强的清除能力。最后,分析了以轻气炮为有效载荷的航天器在完成清除碎片任务时的关键技术。     

Review and propositions for the sliding/impact wear behavior in a contact interface

A thermal-solid-liquid complex operational environment induces structural interface developing a typical coupling sliding/impact wear behavior. It results in contact damage until systems fail, which may cause significant economic losses and catastrophic consequences. The key point of solving this problem is to reveal the coupling damage mechanism of the sliding/impact behavior in typical systems and life characterization under a complicate evolving environment. This has been a hot topic in the area of mechanical reliability. The main work in this paper can be concluded as follows. Firstly, the main industries in which the “sliding/impact behavior” takes place have been introduced. Then, existing studies on the wear mechanism and degree analysis are presented, which includes surface morphology analysis, wear debris analysis, and wear degree measurement. Meanwhile, existing problems in theoretical modeling and experiments in current research are summarized, so as to point out a bright direction for future research on wear prediction. They include interface contact modeling, mathematic coupling mechanism modeling, wear equation establishment, and wear life characterization, which can provide some new ideas for improving the existing studies on the sliding/impact wear behavior.     

预测悬停旋翼跨音速流动的一种组合自由尾流/CFD方法

一种新的组合自由尾流 / CFD方法用于悬停旋翼流动的 CFD解中以考虑实际尾流的作用 .用文中描述的尾流分析方法研究了螺旋尖涡的运动 .首先从广义尾流模型开始 ,用半经验公式模化了涡核对旋翼尾流的作用 ;然后在环量收敛和尾迹收敛的条件下完成了自由尾迹计算 ;最后应用 Jameson有限体积龙格 -库塔推进格式求解了欧拉方程 .所得结果与相关文献和实验数据进行了比较