Active Debris Removal Systems
Author
Isabelle Jacobson
PHYS F211X F06, Fall 2018
Professor David Newman
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Space Debris Removal Systems

Space debris low in Earth's orbit has become a significant threat to current and future spacecraft missions.

  • Space debris can collide with and damage spacecraft.
  • These collisions contribute to the cascade effect of space debris.
  • As a result, space debris has become smaller and harder to detect by current systems.

If you are interested in learning about possible methods for active debris removal and technological methods of detecting and avoiding debris, continue reading »

Space Tether-Net


Utilizing a robotic chaser, a space net would be launched to “catch” debris and then would use a tether to deorbit the debris. This method would launch a net from a spacecraft in order to ensnare the debris and then the tether system would work as an EDT system in that it would deorbit the debris using the spacecraft as a “tug” satellite. One of the main concerns with this method of removal is securing the debris in the net to ensure there is no added risk of further collisions.6
Steps for how a tether net works
 6

The necessary numbers for the tether net simulation
This table shows the necessary numbers to allow an accurate simulation of the workings of a space tether net to be run repeatedly for accurate predictions of real-world results.6

More concerns about this method involve the lack of knowledge about the specific workings of the system, including: the area of the net, how long it takes to launch from the spacecraft, how far it must be launched from the spacecraft, and what the most effective period of time is to wait for the net to fully capture the debris. With these holes in the specific workings of the system, there is need for more research on the topic before it can be relied upon to safely retrieve space debris.7