Study on electrodynamic tether system for space debris removal

As a countermeasure for suppressing space debris growth (P. Eighler, A. Bade, Chain Reaction of Debris Generation by Collisions in Space—A Final Threat to Spaceflight? in: 40th Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, IAA-89-628, October 1989), the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan is investigating a satellite capture, repair and removal system for non-cooperative satellites, part of which involves assessing the viability of electrodynamic tether (EDT) technology as an orbital transfer system. In this paper, some results concerning the time required to remove existing satellites, the behavior of flexible tethers during the debris separation phase, and orbital transfer strategies of EDT systems during space debris removal operations are described. From numerical simulations, it is found that EDT systems can transfer satellites from LEO to orbits with a short lifetime within a realistic timeframe. It is also found that the stability of EDT systems is compromised when debris separation occurs both while a tether current is running and when the ratio of the end mass to that of the service satellite is high. To ensure stability, the end mass should be selected from the target debris group with due regard for the maximum possible mass that can be maneuvered safely. Moreover, it is also found that orbital elements (a, e, i) can be changed independently with an adequate current control strategy.     

激光驱动接力移除空间碎片的小卫星星座及可行性研究

在众多空间碎片移除技术中,天基激光烧蚀驱动是一种高效的、有广阔应用前景的移除技术,特别是针对移除海量的、尺寸在1~10 cm的危险碎片而言,更是具有独特优势。然而,这一技术对高能激光器单脉冲能量、光束质量、发射镜口径等要求很高,目前的硬件水平还达不到实用指标要求,制约了其天基应用。为了克服这些硬件技术障碍,本文另辟蹊径,利用小卫星概念,提出了由不同轨道高度小卫星平台组成小卫星星座,通过在每个小卫星平台上的激光驱动接力来逐步降低碎片轨道高度,最终达到移除空间碎片的小卫星接力移除星座的构想。基于现有的激光器性能参数,根据激光烧蚀驱动碎片动力学模型计算了单个卫星平台的移除能力,结果显示,10 J单脉冲能量激光器和0.5 m直径发射镜,能够对20 km范围内、尺寸小于10 cm碎片进行有效驱动。进而,针对空间碎片密集度高而应用最广的800 km轨道高度区域,设计了由分布在不同轨道高度的30颗小卫星组成接力驱动移除星座系统方案,通过仿真模拟计算验证了星座系统的移除碎片的可行性。该研究利用目前热门的小卫星星座,降低了天基激光移除空间碎片技术对硬件的性能要求,为该技术的应用提供了新的思路和途径,所提出的小卫星接力驱动星座系统方案也有工程参考价值。     

A space based radar on a micro-satellite for in-situ detection of small orbital debris

The increase in the number of satellites in the Near Earth Orbit is exponential. The consequent increase in pollution of the orbital environment is of growing concern to the international community. There are currently only two observation systems available for measurement of orbital debris. Ground based radar and telescopes can detect objects larger than about 7 cm. Passive space based systems provide an accurate statistical estimation of flux for debris smaller than about 0.1 mm in size. Consequently, there is no way of obtaining information about debris in the millimeter-size range. Considering that the relative speed between objects in space is commonly in the km/s range, millimeter sized debris carry enough energy to be deadly to astronauts or to totally destroy the functioning of any satellite. Then National space agencies have recommended launching orbital spacecraft carrying debris detection experiments for gaining a better understanding of small debris.CNES (the French Space Agency) is developing a new family of micro-satellites, that will make possible to put into orbit a totally new system of radar that could measure in-situ flux of debris. We present results of this system analysis, which would cumulate the advantages of both ground-based radar and in orbit passive experiments.The proposed method for detection is quite original and allows the radar to act like a band-pass filter with respect to the debris diameter. The optimum frequency is shown to be in the Ka-band. Two points are critical in the definition of the radar: the average power available and the false alarm probability in the detection criterion. Therefore, we present a special receiver chain in order to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio. The estimate of the radial velocity through Doppler frequency measurement may be used to discriminate orbital debris from meteoroids. This system could be built today using an existing Continuous Wave amplifier. Several hundreds of objects per year could be detected yielding an accurate statistical estimation.The orbital debris radar would be a major contribution to our knowledge of millimeter sized debris. This experiment would contribute to making the current models more accurate at all inclinations. The micro-satellite concept would make the orbital debris radar mission cheap enough for considering a constellation of such satellites.     

区域覆盖混合星座设计

针对我国邻海海上运动目标探测的需求,提出一种由多种类型卫星构成的区域覆盖混合星座系统方案。选择了合适的轨道类型,利用轨道动力学特性保持不同高度卫星构成的星座的构形;提出了星座配置方案,确定了不同类型卫星的协同工作方式和顺序等;在此基础上给出了轨道设计方法。最后设计了一个由海洋监视卫星簇、光学成像卫星和SAR卫星组成的星座。仿真表明,该星座能够实现预定的设计目标,保持一定的空间和时间关系对给定地区进行一定时间间隔的重访。     

单次任务中主动清除多块碎片的仿真分析

针对国内外空间活动产生的碎片,文章采用多脉冲推力作用下的轨道机动仿真方法,在主要考虑总速度增量为2 km/s的约束条件下,计算碎片清除所需要的速度增量、任务时间以及清除个数。仿真结果表明,单次任务可以清除12块分布比较集中的碎片。研究结果可为我国今后空间碎片清扫任务的设计提供参考依据。     

低轨Walker星座构型演化及维持策略分析

针对低轨(LEO)Walker星座构型维持问题,分析在地球非球形引力和大气阻力摄动下卫星的运动规律及星座构型演化特性。结果表明,低轨Walker星座构型发散主要体现在由初始轨道参数不一致引起的轨道高度衰减和相位漂移,国内首例低轨Walker星座实测轨道数据验证了理论分析的正确性。结合星座任务特性与构型发散特点,提出了基于基准卫星的相对相位维持策略,选取一颗卫星作为基准卫星,使星座中其它所有卫星相对于基准卫星的相位漂移量累加值最小,通过对目标卫星实施一次相对基准卫星的轨道高度抬升/降低,维持星间的相对位置关系。实际工程应用表明了此策略的有效性,不仅降低星座构型维持的复杂度及频次,节约燃料,且轨控时间短,为我国今后卫星星座的构型维持提供参考。     

现代小卫星的发展及轨道垃圾问题

文章首先综述半个多世纪以来传统和现代小卫星的技术发展,特别是现代小卫星在对地观测、通信导航、空间技术实验与演示、深空探测、军事等方面的应用取得很多成就,尤其是对地观测高分辨率成像系统取得了突破性技术成就;其次讨论小卫星所产生的轨道垃圾及其影响和处理;最后提出未来小卫星技术发展十个原则,对未来小卫星的应用作了展望。     

Investigation of national policy shifts to impact orbital debris environments

Low earth orbit has become increasingly congested as the satellite population has grown over the past few decades, making orbital debris a major concern for the operational stability of space assets. This congestion was highlighted by the collision of the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 satellites in 2009. This paper addresses the current state of orbital debris regulation in the United States and asks what might be done through policy change to mitigate risks in the orbital debris environment. A brief discussion of the nature of orbital debris addresses the major contributing factors including size classes, locations of population concentrations, projected satellite populations, and current challenges presented in using post-mission active debris removal to mitigate orbital debris. An overview of the current orbital debris regulatory structure of the United States reveals the fragmented nature of having six regulating bodies providing varying levels of oversight to their markets. A closer look into the regulatory policy of these agencies shows that, while they all take direction from The U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices, this policy is a guideline with no real penalty for non-compliance. Various policy solutions to the orbital debris problem are presented, ranging from a business as usual approach to a consolidated regulation system which would encourage spacecraft operator compliance. The positive aspects of these options are presented as themes that would comprise an effective policy shift towards successful LEO conservation. Potential economic and physical limitations to this policy approach are also addressed.     

Safety of space activities

Measures for the safety of space activities have to be elaborated by the scientific community. They should include principles for collision avoidance, possibly in the form of traffic separation schemes. A reduction of collision probabilities could be achieved by systematic removal of inactive satellites, by establishing disposal orbital belts and by reduction of space debris. Safety of space activities would be enhanced by the adoption of standards for the quality of technical equipment and for the competence of personnel. Also timely information on satellite movement should be made available.     

对地观测卫星区域综合组网及性能分析方法研究

明确了卫星综合组网和区域组网的概念 ,研究在对地观测卫星区域组网中卫星网的综合设计原则 ,提出确定区域组网中卫星轨道平面与卫星数量的一般方法 ,初步建立卫星网性能分析的指标体系和评估模型。     

Behavior of tethered debris with flexible appendages

Active exploration of the space leads to growth of a near-Earth space pollution. The frequency of the registered collisions of space debris with functional satellites highly increased during last 10 years. As a rule a large space debris can be observed from the Earth and catalogued, then it is possible to avoid collision with the active spacecraft. However every large debris is a potential source of a numerous small debris particles. To reduce debris population in the near Earth space the large debris should be removed from working orbits. The active debris removal technique is considered that intend to use a tethered orbital transfer vehicle, or a space tug attached by a tether to the space debris. This paper focuses on the dynamics of the space debris with flexible appendages. Mathematical model of the system is derived using the Lagrange formalism. Several numerical examples are presented to illustrate the mutual influence of the oscillations of flexible appendages and the oscillations of a tether. It is shown that flexible appendages can have a significant influence on the attitude motion of the space debris and the safety of the transportation process.     

A sensitivity study of the effectiveness of active debris removal in LEO

The near-Earth orbital debris population will continue to increase in the future due to ongoing space activities, on-orbit explosions, and accidental collisions among resident space objects. Commonly adopted mitigation measures, such as limiting postmission orbital lifetimes of satellites to less than 25 years, will slow down the population growth, but will be insufficient to stabilize the environment. To better limit the growth of the future debris population, the remediation option, i.e., removing existing large and massive objects from orbit, needs to be considered. This paper does not intend to address the technical or economical issues for active debris removal. Rather, the objective is to provide a sensitivity study to illustrate and quantify the effectiveness of various remediation options. An effective removal criterion based upon mass and collision probability is developed. This study includes simulations with removal rates ranging from 5 to 20 objects per year, starting in the year 2020. The outcome of each simulation is analyzed and compared with others. The summary of the study serves as a general guideline for future debris removal consideration.     

分布式小卫星系统的技术发展与应用前景

分布式小卫星系统是现代小卫星的一个崭新的应用领域,它能充分发挥小卫星的优势,同时也能克服小卫星的缺点。分布式小卫星系统包括星群、星座、编队飞行等。小卫星编队飞行将在空间遥感、深空探测、通信导航等方面带来一场重大的技术革命。文章论述了小卫星特点和分布式系统概念,介绍了分布式小卫星系统技术发展水平和关键技术,以及未来的应用前景。     

大型低轨航天器与星座卫星的碰撞风险研究

针对商业小卫星星座迅猛发展对航天器飞行安全造成潜在威胁的问题,以600 km高度星座和大型低轨航天器为研究对象,通过区域方法(BOX)和碰撞概率风险评估方法,分析了星座与大型低轨航天器的碰撞风险。根据星座轨道演化分析表明,整个星座卫星与大型低轨航天器可能发生碰撞的时间相对集中,持续时间约 1~ 2年。BOX方法计算结果表明,每颗卫星与大型低轨航天器交会,并进入红色预警门限的交会次数约10次左右。碰撞概率计算结果表明,约有5%的卫星进入红色预警门限,星座如果在寿命末期采取无控再入将对大型低轨航天器在1~2年内产生较大的威胁。     

近地星座异面遍历交会轨道全局优化

根据J 2摄动对轨道面的长期影响规律,提出了一种在近地低轨道星座卫星之间进行异面轨道交会的解析近似方法,并用于建立多星多约束遍历交会的混合整数规划模型,能够快速获得多星交会次序、交会时刻的最优解。仿真算例表明提出的方法适用于在轨服务、构型重建等类型任务的快速优化,计算速度和燃料消耗优于以往类似算法。     

Overview of the legal and policy challenges of orbital debris removal

Much attention has been paid recently to the issue of removing human-generated space debris from Earth orbit, especially following conclusions reached by both NASA and ESA that mitigating debris is not sufficient, that debris-on-debris and debris-on-active-satellite collisions will continue to generate new debris even without additional launches, and that some sort of active debris removal (ADR) is needed. Several techniques for ADR are technically plausible enough to merit further research and eventually operational testing. However, all ADR technologies present significant legal and policy challenges which will need to be addressed for debris removal to become viable. This paper summarizes the most promising techniques for removing space debris in both LEO and GEO, including electrodynamic tethers and ground- and space-based lasers. It then discusses several of the legal and policy challenges posed, including: lack of separate legal definitions for functional operational spacecraft and non-functional space debris; lack of international consensus on which types of space debris objects should be removed; sovereignty issues related to who is legally authorized to remove pieces of space debris; the need for transparency and confidence-building measures to reduce misperceptions of ADR as anti-satellite weapons; and intellectual property rights and liability with regard to ADR operations. Significant work on these issues must take place in parallel to the technical research and development of ADR techniques, and debris removal needs to be done in an environment of international collaboration and cooperation.     

空间柔性绳网多碎片捕获动力学研究

随着空间碎片数量的增加,其对近地轨道中的在轨卫星产生越来越严重的威胁,空间多碎片的高效清理在近年来也成为了学界关注的热点问题。针对柔性绳网在一次任务中同时对多个碎片进行捕获清理的问题,建立了柔性绳网的动力学模型和与碎片接触动力学模型,并对捕获过程中柔性绳网与碎片的运动进行了仿真模拟。针对绳网的最大拉伸力、质量块位移速度等变量,深入分析捕获过程中绳网与碎片的运动特性。数值仿真结果表明,在一次任务中,柔性绳网可以对多个旋转空间碎片进行捕获,并实现稳定的包裹缠绕,展示了柔性绳网良好的捕获能力。     

Examining the effects of anti-space weaponization arguments in the media: Some experimental findings from Canada

This study examines how political activists are framing the space weaponization debate in Canada and whether their arguments can influence public attitudes and perceptions about the issue. Eighty university students from two undergraduate courses were recruited as participants in a quasi-experiment. One class (n = 38) was exposed to the documentary Masters of Space, an episode of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's program The Nature of Things, and another class (n = 42) served as the control group. Pre-test and post-test questionnaires were used to measure the effects of viewing anti-weaponization arguments in the media, while also controlling for the influence of prior beliefs and background characteristics of participants. Results suggest that visually depicting the use of satellite technology in society can convince viewers that satellites are important to their way of life, but not necessarily to the defense of North America. Framing missile defense as a ‘space weapon in disguise’ also seemed to raise opposition to Canada's participation in continental missile defense. The findings, meanwhile, indicate that viewers respond strongly to the issue of space debris and that mobilizing support for joint military space projects may best be achieved by emphasizing the usefulness of these projects for locating and tracking such debris. In the end, media exposure seemed to help legitimize anti-weaponization arguments based more on rational self-interests than on idealistic beliefs. These findings can have implications for the way space policies are communicated to the public.     

Tracking and data relay satellite system: NASA's new spacecraft data acquisition system

The growth in NASA's ground network complexity and cost triggered a search for an alternative. Through a lease service contract, Western Union will provide to NASA 10 years of space communications services with a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). A constellation of four operating satellites in geostationary orbit and a single ground terminal will provide complete tracking, telemetry and command service for all of NASA's Earth orbital satellites below an altitude of 12,000 km. The system is shared: two satellites will be dedicated to NASA service; a third will provide backup as a shared spare; the fourth satellite will be dedicated to Western Union's Advanced Westar commercial service. Western Union will operate the ground terminal and provide operational satellite control. NASA's Network Control Center will provide the focal point for scheduling user services and controlling the interface between TDRSS and the rest of the NASA communications network, project control centers and data processing facilities. TDRSS single access user spacecraft data systems should be designed for efficient time shared data relay support. Reimbursement policy and rate structure for non-NASA users are currently being developed.     

我国天基综合信息网构想

阐述了天基综合信息网的定义、组成和特征;介绍了美国和欧洲天基综合信息网的研究情况;提出了我国天基综合信息网的体系架构,其中包含通信卫星、导航卫星、遥感卫星、载人飞船等航天器和临近空间各种飞行器,以及地面系统。分析了该网络的特点和可用的网络协议结构;探讨了该网络的组网结构、网络协议、服务质量(QoS)路由、网络管理、网络安全防护、激光通信和星载处理交换等多项关键技术。依据国情,提出了我国天基综合信息网构想。此构想采用双层(地球静止轨道和低地球轨道)通信卫星星座和导航卫星星座,实现全球全时覆盖空间层航天器、临近空间层飞行器和地面层各种用户终端,通过星间链路、星地链路和地面线路组成一个空天地一体化的全球信息网络。在国外不设地球站的情况下,该网络可实现:国内测控站测控我国全球运行的卫星;国内遥感站实时接收我国全球遥感卫星发送的信息;国内关口站管理我国授权的全球用户站之间的互通信息。最后,提出了开展我国天基综合信息网的可行性研究建议。