An Overview of Methods and Technical Means of Space Debris Removal From Low Earth Orbits

Abstract

Debris in Earth's orbit poses a significant threat to existing spacecraft and hinders the safe launch of new spacecraft. This paper discusses various methods of space debris removal from orbit. In particular, active, passive, and combined methods are considered. The possibility of using suborbital rockets to launch the removal system into orbit is also considered. The purpose of this paper is to review existing methods and technical means of space debris de-orbiting and analyze and identify promising areas for the development of such systems. A patent analysis was conducted for the period from 2002 to 2022. Modern scientific works on various methods of space debris removal were also analyzed. The papers on the combined method of space debris removal were analyzed separately. Non-standard approaches to space debris removal are considered. In particular, the possibility of using suborbital launch vehicles to launch removal systems into orbit is considered. As a result of the work, the current state of development of methods and technical means for space debris removal was determined. It has been found that the most commonly patented and studied in scientific papers are technical means based on the passive removal method. At the same time, the active method receives less attention in scientific papers. Because of this, it has been established that the study of passive and combined methods and the development of technical means based on these methods are promising areas. It was found that the combined method is promising, but little was studied, and the basic requirements for systems using suborbital launch vehicles were also identified. This work allowed us to summarize the current state of the problem of space debris management and identify the most promising areas for the development of space debris removal systems.