JUST-IN-TIME COLLISION AVOIDANCE MISSION: REACTIVE SYSTEM FOR BRAKING SPACE DEBRIS
Creators: name: DUPONT, Cedric
name: MISSONNIER, Sophie
name: ROMMELAERE, Simon
name: BONNAL, Christophe
Publisher: name: Proceedings of the 8th European Conference for Aeronautics and Space Sciences. Madrid, Spain, 1-4 july 2019
Year: 2019
Subjects: SPACE DEBRIS
SYSTEMS

description: The context of increasing proliferation of space debris makes space agencies study various means for reducing risks. An initiative of CNES focuses on the issue of avoiding collision between non-maneuvering large debris (such as upper stages, end-of-life or damaged satellites) by braking one of the debris. In the frame of preliminary concept analysis, an assessment of this idea is built upon technological survey, physical analysis leading to orders of magnitude, then first modeling aiming at measuring credibility/readiness of the concept and at identifying technological barriers. In order to avoid a most probable collision between 2 orbiting objects (JCA: just in time collision avoidance), a suborbital rocket (sub-orbital trajectory) could be launched from Earth in order to decrease the speed of one object therefore modifying its trajectory, thanks to a cloud of gas and particles. This Earth-based option would be less expensive than an orbital solution and would be deployed only when required. The system is supposed to sequentially operate as follows: * * * * a sub-orbital rocket (either launched from ground or air-launched) places a generator of gas and particles onto a target altitude close to the one of the debris to deflect, once onto target altitude, the generator is powered up ensuring that a cloud of gas and particles is created, the debris passing through the cloud thus generated, experiences a drag force inducing a slight slowdown, the trajectory of the debris is therefore being modified and, after several drifting orbital revolutions, thus eventually avoids the other debris Feasibility of braking effect had first been set with the use of CFD computations, and success criteria on the shape of the cloud pointed out, such as positioning parameters, size and density of particles (results presented during EUCASS 2017). Preliminary sizing has highlighted ways of generating a cloud with improved efficiency, regarding the example of the plume out of a Solid Rocket Motor. This paper will complete the previous study and will be focused on the system and mission aspects: * * * On mission side, type and number of launch bases needed to fulfill both reactivity and \"rendezvous\" objectives, and comparison of alternatives Time and space margins required by environmental constraints, and their allocation to sub systems Pre-sizing of launch vehicle, including propulsion, aero-dynamics, payload space and mass, carrier if any Resulting architecture, principles and orders of magnitude will be presented in this paper. These different studies used innovation and design techniques (creativity, multidisciplinary working group, MBSE/ARCADIA) and modelling tools (CT Paris\' home-made CFD software CPS_CTM, home-made HADES software platform, commercial optimization environment modeFRONTIER, open source MBSE tool Capella). Copyright 2019 by Cedric Dupont. Published by the EUCASS association with permission. Cedric Dupont, Sophie Missonnier, Simon Rommelaere, Christophe Bonnal